The work that we do exists in stages. Work to be done. Work being done. And work that is done. It feels good to get the work done. One part because we’ve done the hard part and seen something through to completion. And another part because the monkey is off our back temporarily.
Work being done is good because we feel active and alive and like we are making progress. We decide what to do and are present in the moment of doing it. Working on the important stuff is like riding your own train. Steady. Forward moving. Going somewhere.
But what about the work to be done? The things we really want to do. Those that nag. That wake us or keep us awake in the night? The things we can’t forget but can’t seem to start or finish.
I call them shadows. They are the lack of light that is tied to us always. Creeping this way and that. Lengthening as the day goes on. Fading into the rest of the darkness as the day comes to a close and becoming indiscernable from everything else. We never know exactly where they are but are keenly aware of their presence.
We are surrounded by shadows. Sometimes there are more shadows than completions. The shadows weigh us down and make doing the good and light work harder. They have us looking backwards and behind us. A constant presence we just can’t shake.
What can we do but acknowledge their presence and keep trying to move forward? Shadows will never go away but they can exist to remind us to balance them with light, with tangible and authentic work. A shadow can only exist if there is light on the other side. We can’t get rid of the shadows but we can accept their presence as a reminder to balance them with hard thoughtful work.
Go. Embrace the shadows and create some light.
