Intro: Pounding bass note and a stirring fanfare of horns. Welcome to another edition of Things to Think about. Here's Stacy. The horns continue with a keyboard note held.
Relaxing piano music is in the background.
Welcome to the Things to Think About podcast, where we use fables and fairy tales to uncover deeper truths about our subconscious world. Are you limiting your choices? Often times we remain in place because we can’t imagine another way. We will explore opening our mind in a tale I call, “Secret Tunnel”. And now, get comfortable and relax. Take a deep breath in. And exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. And if you'd like, you can slowly close your eyes.
Once upon a time, the world was gauzy and a little itchy. You can make out vague shapes and shadows and know some time has passed because your bound arms have reawakened from their numbness. As the tingles march up your fingers like fire ants you also feel the lines across your chest strain and pulse with your breathing. You scream in frustration and are stunned by the sudden freedom and fall to your knees. Sobbing, you will your arms to work as you are curled on your side and despite wincing in pain as the blood rushes in, you remove your blindfold. Cold metal surrounds you but underneath, a nubby carpet cushions your body. You get on all fours and immediately regret it as you bump your head on something hard. It reminds you of when your brother would thunk you on the head and after you cried, would bring you a flower from the garden. He also made sure you got the biggest cookie. You crawl back and your feet bump up against a wall. Peering ahead you see a hazy, fuzzy, light. You carefully crawl towards it.
You are in an earthen tunnel and are comforted by the loamy smell of packed earth. You see roots poking through here and there and are relieved there are no creepy crawlies. You emerge from the tunnel. “Did you find it?” a voice asks from above. You see a cellphone in the corner grab it and carefully back out of the cubicle. “Yes!” you breathlessly exclaim and get up stunned to find that you are wearing clean business clothes. “Come on,” the voice pleads, “we are going to be late for the staff meeting.” You both sneak in through the back door and are able to take your seats unnoticed since the manager has their attention fixed on the screen. “As you can see, we failed to hit the expected targets,” they blather and wear out the tread of tired ideas and lack of imagination. You feel heavy and realize you have dropped your phone again under the conference table. Carefully you try and shove it to you with your foot and curse silently as you kick it further under the table. Everyone is transfixed by the dreary statistics so you crawl under the table to find your phone. A hazy gold light greets you and you crawl towards it without hesitation.
And now you are falling, falling, falling, slowly, weightlessly, downward. The darkness occasionally is lit by the burning rubble that accompanies you on your journey. You see shards of glass briefly illuminated by the flames as well as broken laptops, monitors, and office furniture. You ponder what has happened in this world. You notice that other people are falling as well, thankfully alive, but their expressions will haunt you forever. Some are twisted in painful grimaces, yet their bodies are whole. Others fall contemplatively in stunned surprise. You also see small meteorites composed of nameplates. All those titles they believed were important were not enough to save them from whatever happened in this place. You see your phone and swim through the air to get closer and are able to grasp it as you continue to fall. You use the flashlight to further explore this fall and notice a purple hazy light coming to meet you. You no longer fear this fall and stretch out in a graceful swan dive to greet your fate.
Once again you are crawling through a tunnel. This one is gold and surprising warm and spongy yet firm. The tunnel becomes wider and wider until you are able to stand up and walk in it. There is a beautiful rainbow ahead and you glance down no longer surprised to see that you are dressed in comfortable stylish clothes. You hear beautiful music and it impels you to quicken your pace. The walls of the tunnel become translucent and you see happy scenes projected on the sides. Children are dancing, couples embrace, people stroll in parks, and buildings twinkle and sparkle. You emerge from the tunnel and once again find yourself in front of the entrance to your cubicle. You turn around and find the familiar trappings of your office. Your head is a little sore from where you initially bumped it, but you are whole and otherwise unharmed. You realize that you have the power to decide where you want to travel next. You have faced the unknown and the terrible and come through the other side. Decision made, you take a step forward.
I am a huge fan of Choose Your Own Adventure Novels. If you do not like the outcome, you can choose again. Sometimes your character perishes but more often than not, you figure it out and successfully complete the adventure. The fun is in the risk and the choice is yours. And now take a deep breath in, and exhale. A deep breathe in, and exhale. A deep breathe in, and exhale. And when you are ready, wiggle your toes, wiggle your fingers, and slowly open your eyes.
Closing: Closing jazzy keyboard and thrumming bass. I hope you enjoyed today's segment. Tell a friend. See you next time. Music fades. "
