Stretch and Be Stretched

A few weeks ago I was hit with some chronic back pain. It didn't matter how I moved; it was all bad. After growing increasingly impatient and distracted by the whole matter I visited my family doctor, who promptly diagnosed me with "tight as hell" hamstrings and sent me to physical therapy for a few sessions.

The sessions with enlightening and more educational than painful. I learned that I've basically never stretched my hamstrings in a proper manner, and the impact this had taken on my back. The therapists showed me several new techniques for strengthening my "core," both my back and abdominal region, including ways to be intentional about stretching while sitting at a desk in front of a computer (not that I ever sit in front of a computer, of course.)

A few weeks later, I'm not fully free of the stiffness I feel in my back when I first wake up...but I am free of the pain. I am embracing a "stretch lifestyle," and am grateful that I have the opportunity to be proactive about an aspect of my health that can serve as an impediment to almost anything else if left unchecked.

The physical therapists were professionals who helped stretch me and taught me how to stretch myself from a physiological standpoint. I also have appreciated lots of individuals, both at close range and through books or talks, who have helped to stretch me in professional, spiritual and emotional ways.

I have learned that I am never as supple or flexible as I could be, and am always in need of a good stretch. I need to keep my muscles warm and ready for the game, for there are no time-outs. My goal is to keep people in my life who constantly stretch me, and who hopefully are stretched by me as well. They could be family members, friends, colleagues, bosses, mentors, coaches, clients or "former" strangers. The key is to be stretched by someone, and hopefully maintain proper form while doing so.

Who stretches you? Are you feeling any tightness right now that is hindering your reach?

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You Are the Rain King!

A great parable of the power of embracing change is found with the lead character of Saul Bellow’s novel Henderson the Rain King, published in 1959 at the height of the post-war period. A millionaire pig farmer who from a materialistic perspective “has it all,” Henderson feels a lack of any meaningful connection or passion in his life. Hoping for a change of pace and a fresh perspective or epiphany, he heads to Africa—where a series of events lead to the locals declaring him to be their Rain King, the one who will bring about an end to the oppressive drought plaguing their village.

Henderson engages in numerous philosophical discussions with the village’s king, Dahfu, and through this relationship gradually begins to see that life is more than just the slow wasting away to which he has reduced it. Instead, each person has the opportunity to embrace a succession of rebirths, or transformations, through engaging their imagination. Life, Henderson learns, can be a journey of ongoing spiritual growth, ultimately geared toward seeking to love others well.

The protagonist leaves the village with the intent of becoming a doctor when he returns to his home. Before his departure the long-awaited rain falls down, symbolizing how the parched landscape of Henderson’s own soul has at last been nurtured.

As I look back and examine my own seasons of “drought,” they have been windows when I was learning and growing the least—times when I had resigned myself to things as they were without seeking to elicit meaningful change. Organizations and companies, too, hit these patches when leaders or employees are looking to the corporate skies for some evidence of impending showers—perhaps hoping a “Rain King” in the form of the latest innovation, maverick executive or other quick-fix will show up.

And yet, as Henderson found, both individually and organizationally the imagination to give us birth anew is right at hand. What is holding us back from daring to dream and achieve?

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