There was a man years ago whom I was just getting to know -- on the telephone -- we hadn’t met yet, but had been encouraged by a mutual acquaintance to have a go at it. He was single. I was single. Why not?
One day, the unnamed man sent me on a sort of treasure hunt, a game, he said, to get to know him better. He told me to follow the instructions he would give me, and at the end of it, I would know something important about him.
Here were the instructions: Get in your car, drive to Whole Foods (or some such place), find the tea section, then find the selection of Celestial Seasoning Tea, look for the one called, Tension Tamer, then take the box off the shelf and look at the picture.
Wow, this was great. Wasn’t this guy playful and fun!
Off I went, happily on my hunt, to find the tea that would tell me things.
Here is a description of the picture on the tea box: In the foreground is a princess sitting on what looks like a pile of rocks -- she seems serene, content in her sitting/waiting posture (one might call it meditative). In the back ground, very teeny, you can see a knight in shining armor leaving a beautiful castle glowing in the clouds behind him. Near him, at his point along the way, is a scaly dragon, breathing fire. The knight has his sword drawn in preparation for battle with the beast -- which in turn allows the knight to rescue and free the princess.
How could I have not recognized a pattern that has played over and over in my life! I knew this story. I’d lived it, far too many times. Falling for what I believe is the hero, the man in the arena!
I held that picture out in front of me like it was the place at the end of the rainbow. But it wasn’t.
In time, I've learned that the princess needs to get up off that rock on her own, and quit waiting to be rescued. She needs to incorporate the qualities of the knight -- honor, courage, valor, risk -- in herself. Turns out, there was more to learn about myself than about him -- and he wasn't playful or fun either.
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