Life's Oil Slicks

I don’t know if it is because I’ve watched too many cartoons in my lifetime or what, but whenever I think of the term ‘oil-slick,’ I imagine someone hitting it either in a car that they were in or they were simply running. They hit the ‘slick’ and instantly go skidding out of control.

In real life, hitting an oil slick would be terrifying and the closest thing I can even begin to relate to concerning that was years ago when I was a new driver, I hit the brakes on a wet road and my tires started hydroplaning. 

I remember that feeling of having no control as the car angled itself off the road. I was grateful that I wasn’t going that fast and that I hit the curb and bounced off. I was still such a new driver that I wasn’t experienced enough to take my foot off the break and ease the hydroplaning skid back by taking my foot off the brake. I was fortunate that there were no cars around me AND that the angle of the skid took me off the road versus into another lane.

What I find fascinating is that there have been MANY more ‘oil slicks’ that had nothing to do with driving, or even oil for that matter, that occurred in my life.

It is when we hit that rough patch where the events of our life have seemingly taken us out of control and we find ourselves skidding through life. It’s a scary feeling as we find ourselves in an intense space that can cause us to lock up and allow the fear to inhibit our choices.

I remember a work colleague of mine decades ago who was an incredible skier. As we were walking through the parking lot towards to lodge, there was a steep, icy, and bumpy patch that looked treacherous to try and navigate down. There was a paved path that had been cleared so people could walk around the path and not slip and wipe out on the slick ice.

I remember my friend didn’t take the path.

He actually took a couple of fast steps and purposefully stepped onto the treacherous terrain. What was amazing was I thought he was going to catch one of the thousands of uneven bumps and end up on his face or his butt. What I saw was him literally skiing down with only his boots down this steep hill. 

Every time his boot caught one of the uneven bumps, which was often, he simply leaned into and stepped gracefully with his other foot and proceeded to ski down this embankment.

It was one of the most amazing displays of balance and control I have ever seen in my life.

That is the mindset we can take when we hit a slick spot in life. 

We don’t fight it and get all tensed up and fearful. We can relax, go with it, and with some experience and the right mindset, we can effortlessly glide through this difficult situation. 

Have faith in yourself, and your intentions, and trust that you can not only survive this slick patch, but can also actually grow, learn, and thrive because of it.

Whether it is your maturity, your faith in the Divine, or your adventurous spirit that knows there are obstacles that will come your way, for whatever reason, you are up for the challenge.

Personally, I rely on all three - faith in myself, trusting I will survive it, and yes, even grow and thrive because of it!