Don't fight the gorilla, dance with the panda
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Don't fight the gorilla, dance with the panda
You keep on hopping back through the ropes.
That 800 pound gorilla, heaving and thrashing, rippling with bulging muscles, silverback hair standing on end, awaits you.
Each time you leap back into the ring ready for the fight - this time with renewed belief that somehow you'll prevail. That THIS time you've found the weakness in his technique. THIS time you've worked out the victorious strategy. Each time, he pummels you. He bounces you about, he beats you profusely about the head and torso. He breaks your bones and eventually, hurls you out of the ring in a blackout.....
You come to.
You stagger about.
You lick your wounds and feel the weight of your shame, your stupidity.
And then, with a little time, you think maybe it's just another training program you need.... maybe another supplement or a particular mental game attitude. You feel stronger, you gain your feet and it's back to business.... you want to BEAT that gorilla.
But, see... that gorilla just gets stronger every time. He's training, too. He sees your weakness. He outweighs you a thousandfold. He's pumping iron and gaining ground every time you're not looking. He's more than ready for you. He'll beat you every time.
One day, he will kill you.
Instead, one day, as you raise your bruised and broken head from the concrete beside the ring, you notice in the distance a green mountainside. A beautiful panda dances serenely.... he flows... he is at peace.... a smile of joy upon his face, he meanders the mountainside meadow and he sways in the breeze like the bamboo he munches as he goes. He beckons.... he beckons to you.
And so you crawl. You gain strength. You gain your feet. You walk, slowly at first.... uncertain. You have thoughts about turning back, back to your training, pumping iron, working the heavy bag, readying for another go at that gorilla. But the panda beckons. He dances. He is joyful. You keep walking, then you run, then you fall to the ground at the panda's feet... exhausted.
You look up and instead of the gorilla's menacing, steely death-stare.... you are greeted with a grinning friendly smile of black and white faced joy. That panda is a welcome sight. He encircles you with an embrace, lifts you to your feet.... slowly, begins fluid movements of a dance that seems part t'ai chi, part swimming, part flying.... he beckons you to follow along. You mimic his moves, you flow.... awkward and unsure at first, but over time.... as you continue the dance... as you train and you unfold and your heart swells - you are overtaken with joy, gratitude.
You roll and you tumble and you dance. You swell and you grow and you graze and you ramble. You eat the bamboo and drink of the clear mountain spring. You dance in unison with the other pandas.... and one day, as you lift your eye to the horizon, your gaze meets the bleary red eyes of another being... a being lifting his head from the concrete.... he is broken, miserable, boiled in despair.....
And as you begin to dance, you beckon, you call to that being with the love of experience, strength, hope..... you dance. And in your furry black and white panda coat you realize you are free.... and will live your life in service to offering others that same freedom.
Stop fighting that gorilla....
The panda tribe awaits your dance.
That 800 pound gorilla, heaving and thrashing, rippling with bulging muscles, silverback hair standing on end, awaits you.
Each time you leap back into the ring ready for the fight - this time with renewed belief that somehow you'll prevail. That THIS time you've found the weakness in his technique. THIS time you've worked out the victorious strategy. Each time, he pummels you. He bounces you about, he beats you profusely about the head and torso. He breaks your bones and eventually, hurls you out of the ring in a blackout.....
You come to.
You stagger about.
You lick your wounds and feel the weight of your shame, your stupidity.
And then, with a little time, you think maybe it's just another training program you need.... maybe another supplement or a particular mental game attitude. You feel stronger, you gain your feet and it's back to business.... you want to BEAT that gorilla.
But, see... that gorilla just gets stronger every time. He's training, too. He sees your weakness. He outweighs you a thousandfold. He's pumping iron and gaining ground every time you're not looking. He's more than ready for you. He'll beat you every time.
One day, he will kill you.
Instead, one day, as you raise your bruised and broken head from the concrete beside the ring, you notice in the distance a green mountainside. A beautiful panda dances serenely.... he flows... he is at peace.... a smile of joy upon his face, he meanders the mountainside meadow and he sways in the breeze like the bamboo he munches as he goes. He beckons.... he beckons to you.
And so you crawl. You gain strength. You gain your feet. You walk, slowly at first.... uncertain. You have thoughts about turning back, back to your training, pumping iron, working the heavy bag, readying for another go at that gorilla. But the panda beckons. He dances. He is joyful. You keep walking, then you run, then you fall to the ground at the panda's feet... exhausted.
You look up and instead of the gorilla's menacing, steely death-stare.... you are greeted with a grinning friendly smile of black and white faced joy. That panda is a welcome sight. He encircles you with an embrace, lifts you to your feet.... slowly, begins fluid movements of a dance that seems part t'ai chi, part swimming, part flying.... he beckons you to follow along. You mimic his moves, you flow.... awkward and unsure at first, but over time.... as you continue the dance... as you train and you unfold and your heart swells - you are overtaken with joy, gratitude.
You roll and you tumble and you dance. You swell and you grow and you graze and you ramble. You eat the bamboo and drink of the clear mountain spring. You dance in unison with the other pandas.... and one day, as you lift your eye to the horizon, your gaze meets the bleary red eyes of another being... a being lifting his head from the concrete.... he is broken, miserable, boiled in despair.....
And as you begin to dance, you beckon, you call to that being with the love of experience, strength, hope..... you dance. And in your furry black and white panda coat you realize you are free.... and will live your life in service to offering others that same freedom.
Stop fighting that gorilla....
The panda tribe awaits your dance.
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Thanks can’t wait to share with a loved one but will have to wait. Due to codependency and current events-will save for myself to read often
Originally Posted by FreeOwl 
You keep on hopping back through the ropes.
That 800 pound gorilla, heaving and thrashing, rippling with bulging muscles, silverback hair standing on end, awaits you.
Each time you leap back into the ring ready for the fight - this time with renewed belief that somehow you'll prevail. That THIS time you've found the weakness in his technique. THIS time you've worked out the victorious strategy. Each time, he pummels you. He bounces you about, he beats you profusely about the head and torso. He breaks your bones and eventually, hurls you out of the ring in a blackout.....
You come to.
You stagger about.
You lick your wounds and feel the weight of your shame, your stupidity.
And then, with a little time, you think maybe it's just another training program you need.... maybe another supplement or a particular mental game attitude. You feel stronger, you gain your feet and it's back to business.... you want to BEAT that gorilla.
But, see... that gorilla just gets stronger every time. He's training, too. He sees your weakness. He outweighs you a thousandfold. He's pumping iron and gaining ground every time you're not looking. He's more than ready for you. He'll beat you every time.
One day, he will kill you.
Instead, one day, as you raise your bruised and broken head from the concrete beside the ring, you notice in the distance a green mountainside. A beautiful panda dances serenely.... he flows... he is at peace.... a smile of joy upon his face, he meanders the mountainside meadow and he sways in the breeze like the bamboo he munches as he goes. He beckons.... he beckons to you.
And so you crawl. You gain strength. You gain your feet. You walk, slowly at first.... uncertain. You have thoughts about turning back, back to your training, pumping iron, working the heavy bag, readying for another go at that gorilla. But the panda beckons. He dances. He is joyful. You keep walking, then you run, then you fall to the ground at the panda's feet... exhausted.
You look up and instead of the gorilla's menacing, steely death-stare.... you are greeted with a grinning friendly smile of black and white faced joy. That panda is a welcome sight. He encircles you with an embrace, lifts you to your feet.... slowly, begins fluid movements of a dance that seems part t'ai chi, part swimming, part flying.... he beckons you to follow along. You mimic his moves, you flow.... awkward and unsure at first, but over time.... as you continue the dance... as you train and you unfold and your heart swells - you are overtaken with joy, gratitude.
You roll and you tumble and you dance. You swell and you grow and you graze and you ramble. You eat the bamboo and drink of the clear mountain spring. You dance in unison with the other pandas.... and one day, as you lift your eye to the horizon, your gaze meets the bleary red eyes of another being... a being lifting his head from the concrete.... he is broken, miserable, boiled in despair.....
And as you begin to dance, you beckon, you call to that being with the love of experience, strength, hope..... you dance. And in your furry black and white panda coat you realize you are free.... and will live your life in service to offering others that same freedom.
Stop fighting that gorilla....
The panda tribe awaits your dance.
That 800 pound gorilla, heaving and thrashing, rippling with bulging muscles, silverback hair standing on end, awaits you.
Each time you leap back into the ring ready for the fight - this time with renewed belief that somehow you'll prevail. That THIS time you've found the weakness in his technique. THIS time you've worked out the victorious strategy. Each time, he pummels you. He bounces you about, he beats you profusely about the head and torso. He breaks your bones and eventually, hurls you out of the ring in a blackout.....
You come to.
You stagger about.
You lick your wounds and feel the weight of your shame, your stupidity.
And then, with a little time, you think maybe it's just another training program you need.... maybe another supplement or a particular mental game attitude. You feel stronger, you gain your feet and it's back to business.... you want to BEAT that gorilla.
But, see... that gorilla just gets stronger every time. He's training, too. He sees your weakness. He outweighs you a thousandfold. He's pumping iron and gaining ground every time you're not looking. He's more than ready for you. He'll beat you every time.
One day, he will kill you.
Instead, one day, as you raise your bruised and broken head from the concrete beside the ring, you notice in the distance a green mountainside. A beautiful panda dances serenely.... he flows... he is at peace.... a smile of joy upon his face, he meanders the mountainside meadow and he sways in the breeze like the bamboo he munches as he goes. He beckons.... he beckons to you.
And so you crawl. You gain strength. You gain your feet. You walk, slowly at first.... uncertain. You have thoughts about turning back, back to your training, pumping iron, working the heavy bag, readying for another go at that gorilla. But the panda beckons. He dances. He is joyful. You keep walking, then you run, then you fall to the ground at the panda's feet... exhausted.
You look up and instead of the gorilla's menacing, steely death-stare.... you are greeted with a grinning friendly smile of black and white faced joy. That panda is a welcome sight. He encircles you with an embrace, lifts you to your feet.... slowly, begins fluid movements of a dance that seems part t'ai chi, part swimming, part flying.... he beckons you to follow along. You mimic his moves, you flow.... awkward and unsure at first, but over time.... as you continue the dance... as you train and you unfold and your heart swells - you are overtaken with joy, gratitude.
You roll and you tumble and you dance. You swell and you grow and you graze and you ramble. You eat the bamboo and drink of the clear mountain spring. You dance in unison with the other pandas.... and one day, as you lift your eye to the horizon, your gaze meets the bleary red eyes of another being... a being lifting his head from the concrete.... he is broken, miserable, boiled in despair.....
And as you begin to dance, you beckon, you call to that being with the love of experience, strength, hope..... you dance. And in your furry black and white panda coat you realize you are free.... and will live your life in service to offering others that same freedom.
Stop fighting that gorilla....
The panda tribe awaits your dance.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
I'm printing this out and bringing it to a group of folks in the hospital this morning - where I'll go to share my experience, strength and hope.
Thought I'd re-share it here.....
I find this Gorilla metaphor so apt.... it got me through the early days, realizing I did NOT want to keep being pummeled.
The Panda metaphor came a bit later.... after I'd been dancing for some time.
Happy Sober Saturday everyone.
Thought I'd re-share it here.....
I find this Gorilla metaphor so apt.... it got me through the early days, realizing I did NOT want to keep being pummeled.
The Panda metaphor came a bit later.... after I'd been dancing for some time.
Happy Sober Saturday everyone.
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