The Messy Middle

That place between “this is not working” and “this is what I dream of” is what I think of as “The Messy Middle.” 

We humans are connoisseurs of comfort.  We relish the illusion of control through predictability and cling to certitude like a frightened toddler does to a parent when he doesn’t want to sit on Santa’s lap.

Control and certitude  is not how the world works though.  And ironically, control and certitude are also the very things that make us miserable because at our core, we are explorers.  (Just watch a two year old discover thing to see our untamed human nature.) 

Change requires getting out of that comfort zone and this is where it gets messy.  So messy in fact, that most chose to stay in the “this is not working” place. 

The messy middle is dark, it’s scary, and darn it, just lonely at times.  As sucky as this is – the darkness of staying in a life unlived, shackled by fear is a scarier place.