Got Mud?

Ever notice something about mud? The more you resist, the more stuck you become. The faster you respond, the deeper you sink. 

I recall being trapped in springtime mud while running my trap line one late March morning in my high school days. As I slogged through the swamp in hip boots, I suddenly found myself mired in muck. Powering out of trouble was my go-to move in sticky situations in those days. Come to think of it, it was my default response to just about everything back then. As a result, deeper I went.

Water was now beginning to trickle in as the mud tightened its grip on my legs. Keeping my wits about me, I hitched my bootstraps higher, calmed down, and began to assess the situation. Surrounded by water, with no one within miles, and no cell phone back then, I considered my options. I concluded that if I slipped out of my boots and dropped all my gear in the swamp, I might be able to swim my way out. This was a very costly option for me financially, however, so I needed to consider it carefully. 

As I stood there thinking, I became aware, that as I stopped resisting, things began to stabilize. I stopped sinking, and as I felt my feet and ankles anchored in the mud, I noticed if I very slowly wiggled my feet, and pulled gently upward, the insidious mud would ever so slightly begin to relax its grip. An hour later, I successfully made my way to shore—exhausted and dirty, but with boots and gear intact.  Another misadventure to add to my youthful resume of near-misses! 

Today, I recognize that this was one of my early encounters with mindfulness. I did not know it at the time, but the common sense I was thankfully endowed with allowed me to avoid panicking. Quieting down, I became more aware of my circumstances. I noticed the sensations that would provide the keys to my release.  

As I have learned mindfulness practices the past few years, I now have a set of tools that help me intentionally avoid becoming trapped in the mud of my emotions, the mud of circumstances beyond my control, and the mud encountered in daily living. I still step in mud, but my ability to not become mired is better than at any time in my life. For this I am grateful.