How do you know when it’s time to put down your bow and arrows and climb a tree?
Your tools for finding work are effective and powerful, but goodness are they heavy! And they take a lot of energy to maintain. Imagine, the bow and its limber strings which need replacing after constant use. The arrows are shot into an opportunity that may or may not run away, and oftentimes, arrows disappear forever into the shrubberies or at the bottom of a shimmering lagoon.
Every day when the sun peeks over the hillside, you dutifully spring out of bed and feed yourself a hearty porridge, washing it down with something invigorating. Gathering your supplies, including a steadfast satchel and walking stick, you toss your bow and arrows pack over your shoulder. and head toward the forest at a steady trot. Your hunting expedition is underway.
Trees are gorgeous spectacles but they block your view as you seek your targets. It seems that jobs are running around on the loose, dodging your arrows for the sheer fun of it. Try as you might, results are slim. Perseverance is your greatest asset.
While your aim is certain, objects in motion move out of view mere seconds after your arrow has already taken flight. Sometimes you hit your goal head-on and you rush to retrieve it. Maybe you find that you’ve landed an exploratory conversation or interview. Bravo! But this doesn’t mean the hunt is over. You’ve got to keep trudging along, until you’ve caught exactly what you need.
You ache for the day when you will no longer be on the hunt, when you reach an era of your life in which you are not lugging these job hunt tools around everywhere you go. On the hunt, your awareness is dramatically keen, your muscles tensed and ever at the ready. With time and repetition, your shoulders grow achy. Your arms burn from pulling the bow string back, holding it taut, and letting it go with a jolting zing. You feel nearly defeated by the wear and the tear.
The thing about running around with a bow and arrow is that, not only do you grow weary, but you are limited to the ground-floor perspective. Within a dense forest full of boulders, your scope is narrow. Everything looks tall, and when opportunities scamper off, they kind of disappear into the wilderness.
What if you were to take a break and put down your bow and arrows? You could venture up into the branches of a tree, gaining height and a whole new outlook. Consider all the paths and rivers and mountain ranges in the distance you might see. You would catch the beautiful sunset and the enchantment of a few dozen fireflies flitting about. Stretching your arms wide and waving them up toward the sky, you would see the world from a whole new angle. You might even glimpse another forest to explore over yonder.
It takes a bird’s eye view to gauge where you should head next. When your muscles are just plain weary from lugging around all your supplies, you crave the cradle of a curvy leafed limb.
Perhaps now is the time to put down your bow and arrows.
Climb a tree.
Chillax.
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