Falling Into a Waste Basket

My 8-week-old kitten Bodhi was playing in my office the other day and jumped onto what he thought was a solid surface, but it was the waste basket which had a piece of paper sitting on top of it.  Much to his dismay, when he landed, the piece of paper covering the opening fell into the waste basket and he fell with it!

After a moment, however, he became fascinated with everything in the waste basket and began to play with the paper. He discovered that it made interesting sounds as he moved around and he could move it with his paws and even bite it.  I had seen him fall in and noticed his playful response, so I started throwing more pieces of paper over him which he promptly started playing with and would then emerge to see what was coming next.

It occurred to me that this was a wonderful metaphor for dealing with unpleasant situations in our lives. Our first reaction when we find ourselves in one is to try to get out, but if we become fascinated with it instead, we will find that it has unexpected gifts to give us.

And instead of trying to make sure we never find ourselves there again, we can become curious about what’s coming next! I encourage you to try it the next time you find yourself in a situation you don’t like. Become fascinated with what is showing up and explore it like a kitten in a basket full of waste paper.