Go to the Deep End...and Jump Right In!

I have a magnet on my refrigerator that says “Go to the deep end and jump right in.” It’s a quote from My Children! My Africa!, a wonderful play by South African playwright, Athol Fugard. I bought the magnet from the gift shop in The Signature Theater after an amazing night of theater when I saw August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” (directed by Ruben Santiago Hudson) there a few weeks ago.

When I was in my early teenage years, I was told quite regularly in some form or another that I was “too deep.” I wrote poetry and kept a journal; I was fairly quiet and quite obviously a deep thinker. I was the one in class to raise the “next level” question in classroom discussions. I was the one who made the comment that left the class in ponderous silence, including the teacher. After a while, I began to wish that I wasn't considered deep. I wanted to be funny or cool. I felt that if I wasn't considered deep my opinions would be more accessible. It seemed to me that every time someone called me deep that in some way they were saying that I was removed from reality. But there was no escape. I tried to be what I thought was shallow, but the deep end always found me.

So here we are. Today, I’m writing about the “deep end” because I learn time and time again that the answers to many of my questions lie in the simple act of going deeper. I notice a slight discomfort in my being; maybe I feel bored with some aspect of my life, dissatisfied, or otherwise off balance. Sometimes we make hasty decisions and make big changes in our lives when we experience that “itch that you just can’t scratch” feeling. Sometimes big action is necessary in these cases; other times your life may just be asking that you approach it from the next level of depth that is available to you. Our depth is endless. There is always another level waiting.

What does going deeper mean for you? Does it mean facing a truth about yourself that you know on some level is hovering in your blind spot? Does it mean letting someone off the hook for something you are ready to forgive? Maybe it means taking a few minutes of silence to figure out what the next level of depth is for you, engaging in deep inquiry, silent listening, or whatever it is that helps you get to the heart of the matter.  

Whatever your door, you can be sure that there is another level to your depth and it is waiting for you to explore. 

Hey! That kinda rhymes! Read it like this:

Whatever your door 

you can be sure 

there is another level to your depth 

waiting for you to explore. 

See what I mean?? Poetry! I can't escape it! That girl is Deep! You know it!

Ok. Ok. I'll stop. Just go deeper! Jump right in! Your joy awaits you!

P.S. If you haven't already noticed, you don’t have to be a downer to go deeper! We’ll talk more about lightness and humor later!