"Spinning Out Of Control"

"Spinning Out Of Control"

After much reflection, I've decided that "spinning" is a great metaphor for life. Everyday we spin. The Earth rotates on its axis at 23.5 degrees from vertical in a full rotation within 24 hours. We can't feel it, but we are spinning about 700-900 miles per hour (in the mid-latitudes, that is). If the Earth were to suddenly stop spinning...well, let's just say if you aren't attached to bedrock...draw your own conclusions.

So, we are meant to spin.

We have many clever expressions for spinning. Like, "spinning one's wheels," which is to say we are "wasting time." Or, "spinning babies," which is the clever phrase for standing on one's head to rotate the position of a baby while it's in the womb. I guess this is a changing of our axis of sorts. I can sign up for "spinning classes," which I think is an exercise program on a stationary bike. Where we just sit and spin, going nowhere.

And, then there's "spinning out of control." You can find a lot of song lyrics with this phrase, and in every instance this a pretty bad place to be....spinning out of control, that is. I Googled spinning out of control and every link I found described some grim, treacherous state of being that no one would want to find themselves in.

When I reflect on my life, spinning out of control, comes up a lot. It's when I'm really at my worst. This of course has to do with my overzealous need for control, but seriously there is a natural order to things and when we feel like this natural state has been disrupted, there's really no better way to describe it than to say, "my life is spinning out of control!"

It's a horrible feeling, really. First, there's the exhilaration that comes like being on the merry-go-round...just as the spinning starts and the wind blows in your face. But, then, there's the feeling of weightlessness that starts to tickle in your gut (some people actually like this feeling...sadists!). When the speed picks up and the spinning is so fast that you can't keep your eyes open anymore because it hurts too much to try to focus on the blurred life passing you by, that's when all control is fading. Finally, the pressure that yanks you down (and I think this must have something to with gravity and centrifugal force-all too technical for me) is a demonstration of the strength that spinning has over you. It's like the spinning is saying, "You can't stop me, I'm in charge now!"

When the spinning bout is over, you are left with nothing but dizziness. And, the longer you've been spinning the longer it takes to recover from this whirling sensation. The confusion that ensues, the light-headedness, the fleeting senselessness leaves you feeling out of control. Some react with unconsciousness, the body's way of saying, "time out, overload." Some have to lay down for minutes, hours as the depression of the draining sense of emptiness dissolves. Some try to walk away, crossing one estranged foot over the other and eventually falling to their knees.

How do you react from spinning out of control?

Our living takes on different measures of importance. The spinning happens no mater what because we are meant to spin, but we shouldn't forget that the spinning also serves as a warning. Since the realization of our spinning never really creeps up on us, we should know better when the spinning is about to get out of control.

When my world is Topsy Turvy (spinning out of control), sometimes someone will say to me, "Just let loose." But, clearly this is not the time to ignore the spinning. Letting loose is that state of being that requires alignment. If we let loose when we do not have order in our lives, we are only faking contentment. I guess you could say that letting loose while you are spinning out of control is like the Earth shifting off its axis, and this scenario does not end well.

So, yeah, I'm a little stressed and I'm spinning a little too fast. It's time to breathe and take action. It's time to get the rotation back under control. It's time to take responsibility for myself and what's going on around me, and it's time to ask for help, and it's also time to stop faking, and it's time to say, "enough!"