Iceberg or fire?
During my childhood years, winters used to keep us freezing as the surreal landscapes were covered in mountains of snow. On the sidewalk, in front of the building I grew up, there was an almost “forever green” strip of ice. Kids would revel in using it with plenitude. We would even “keep it alive” if, by chance, snow would dare to cover it. Ice sliding, in the funniest and “trickiest” of ways, was one of the pieces of happiness we would never get enough of.
On the other hand, the icicles we would find hanging from rooftops or cars were of high importance, as they were signs of victory over our wandering around the neighborhood. We wouldn’t worry much about the germs that could embrace these icicles. No! We would show off our “pray” and we would delight our gustatory senses as if we had the most delicious flavor of ice-cream. 🤭
Well, times long gone by…
Today, as the city I live in [Bucharest] is all dressed up in white, I recalled these moments…
As a matter of fact, what drives my writing today is a metaphor that conquered my mind, connected to ice, in its essence. So I’m taking it to a whole new level.
Precisely in that moment when one believes, with all their strength, that the huge ice cube (as big as the iceberg in ‘Titanic’) in their soul could never be melted, surprise! Here comes someone new, with the purpose of showing them how life is not as slippery and dangerous as they imagined. This someone doesn’t have to be a lover, it’s enough to exude warmth.
Many times, we hang teeth and nail onto that iceberg, just like children used to maintain the strip of ice during winter. How else could we have performed “the mirror” (a move of the “slick”) if there was no ice? Obviously, we had to keep it “alive”!
We act just the same as adults, yet in different areas. The iceberg is the perfect defense system against still-bleeding wounds. It is that priceless asset we maintain at all cost. More often than not, past experiences leave terrible marks, adding layer after layer of ice, on top of the already shaped iceberg.
Objectively speaking, this iceberg keeps us away from fire. And fire can be regarded from 2 angles, to say the least: constructive and destructive.
Constructive fire brings in sparks of happiness which, if thoroughly maintained, light up the long-lost flame of passion (whether we refer to relationships or the passion we put into our work).
On the flip-side, destructive fire — if thoroughly built up and maintained — turns to ashes everything around it. Especially whatever chance to wake up each morning with a childlike smile on our faces; those occasions when we can express our gratitude to the Almighty and the Universe for every breath and each person that lights up our lives; and the endless opportunities to build up our own empire, wrapped up in beauty and peace of mind.
I, for one, have abundantly experienced the effects of both “well-maintained” types of fire. And, for too many years in a row, I chose to maintain the destructive fire, paradoxically guarded by tall walls of ice.
Fortunately, for about 4 years now, I can see how the thick and stubborn layer of ice surrenders to the inner fire. A fire that turns, with each day and with each new beneficial presence, into a constructive flame. The ice particles mourn the coziness of the walls, yet the fire builds up stronger and stronger.
As is the case for me, the same applies to all of us. Each of us has the power to allow this constructive fire to melt the iceberg. And the benefits are immeasurable. First off, I’m referring to a joy of living that the iceberg keeps hidden within the depth of each drip of hurt.
I would never state that it’s easy. It is not! In fact, it is incredibly tough, as — alike the villains in fairy-tales — the iceberg won’t give in just like that. This is an ongoing process, which takes a lot of determination. And determination joins in as we accept our strategically-placed frozen points.
My beloved ones, as years go by, we come to realize that the iceberg brings in sorrow only. Although we believe the exact opposite — that it spares us from its claws.
Consequently, let us wake up today (and every day moving forward) with a childlike smile on our faces! Let us give our gratitude to the Universe for everything we have! And let us allow the constructive fire to sing its victory over the atrocious shield of the iceberg!
I’m sending warm hugs to all of you, irrespective of the place on earth you are reading this text from.
A.
#FlavoredWriting #CoachingWithFlavor
🖋️ 💙
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Photo: Courtesy of Flavored Ventures
* Article initially published on LinkedIn
