Fight or Flight or Sink or Swim

I think I am in touch with some of my most primitive urges. When circumstances go into “sink or swim” mode I start to hunker down into fight or flight! For me this seems to be evidenced in a burning desire to get things done. From morning to night I am going from one task to another. Loading the trash bin to washing the dishes. Driving to one appointment and then running an errand. It seems very easy to get very caught up in rushing, rushing, rushing.

I also get very directive in my approach to others. “Do this! Don’t do that!” The thought in my head is: “Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way!” This is probably okay if you are leading a combat unit in the army, less good if you are helping a congregation find their way out of a problem! Barking orders at stunned and paralyzed parishoners is less than helpful.

However, if the adrenaline rush gets high enough, there really isn’t much that can be done. I can only begin to pray quietly, “Slow Down, Slow Down.” The songwriter writes: “Be still! and know that I am God…” Ten minutes late to a very important appointment, stuck in slow traffic yesterday, this was my mantra. It did help and eventually the urge to fight or run died down. Survival did not seem such an issue. In fact, the meeting that I was late to turned out pretty well.

As the day progressed, the stress got less and less. Eventually I was sitting at an outdoor patio with an old friend talking serious business in a casual and relaxed way. All that had been driving me in the early morning hours had subsided. Now there was a great deal of peace.

When the question is sink or swim, survival is at issue. I have been dealing with that for some weeks now. And sometimes I can’t paddle fast enough to stay ahead of the alligators that are in close pursuit. Just this week, I think I have gotten to a spot where I can calm down. Ah, that is such sweet relief. And in the midst of the hustle and bustle I can easily lose my way. Little things start to happen, I lose a pen. I lock my keys in the car or forget my ATM card. These are signs of way too much happening way too fast. Like my good friend Steve Sjogren says, I need to become more of a turtle than a rabbit! While the rabbit is a good sprinter, the turtle, slow and steady, wins the race.