PLOW AHEAD

June 27th, 2018

This episode references Episode 23 entitled PAUSE and Episode 34 entitled WIGGLE.  If you’d like to fully understand these references, please check out those episodes first.

When the going get’s tough, the tough get going.  Right?

Do we plow through obstacles?  If so, what is being done to the obstacle?  Is it being destroyed?  Tossed to the side?

This is the cultural essence of the phrase, to ‘plow ahead’.  Like some sort of juggernaut.  Like a train headed towards a fiat stalled on the tracks.  But this phrase deserves a little more thoughtful consideration.

What is a plow? 

Is it pushed or pulled through the ground in order to destroy the ground?  As though the ground were some sort of pesky obstacle?  No.  The plow reshapes the ground.  The plow alters the ground so that it is more conducive to receiving seeds.  The plow aides a natural process.  When most seeds that fall on the ground may dry out or burn after germinating before the tiny root can WIGGLE down for a hold, the plow opens up the playing field for the individual seed.  Literally.

So what does it mean to ‘plow ahead’? . . . when the going gets tough?

Are we to confront obstacles like enemies, subdue and destroy them, remove them from our path and head on straight towards our goals?  Or is there a subtler suggestion in this cultural adage?

Might we alter an obstacle to aide us on our way to a goal?

A wall in your way is a pain until you see the value of such a new perspective when you’ve climbed to the top of it and looked around.

To plow ahead doesn’t mean to grit your teeth, close your eyes and charge forward.  A sharp plow is like sharp insight, and plowing ahead means meeting your obstacle with thoughtfulness, concentration and a willingness to see how such a pesky-seeming-object might benefit you.

Imagine some post-apocalyptic weary traveler, ignorant of the ways of fallen civilization, coming across a functioning car in their path while running from some dangerous enemy.  The desperate traveler, in ignorance, will probably see this car as an obstacle, impeding the path. 

If only this traveler knew how much faster they could ‘run’ behind the wheel.

PAUSE the next time you feel thwarted, pushed back and pushed down. 

You might be looking at the golden key to a better future.

If only you sharpen your plow and look at your situation a little differently.