Finding Your Treasure During the Ebb Tide
It’s been a strange and quiet time in Hollywood. Everyone assumed that after the writers and actors strikes, the industry would rebound and production would resume in full force. Instead, phones seemed to have stopped ringing. Auditions are trickling in lifelessly. Filming may be happening, but it’s happening elsewhere.
Whether you are impacted by the current lull in the entertainment industry or not, most of us know what it feels like when there is an unexpected silence.
Perhaps the vibrant social momentum we once enjoyed seems muted and still. Or our health goals, income, or relationship situation can suddenly plateau for no apparent reason.
Maybe it’s situational, seasonal, economic, or cosmic (some planet must be in retrograde somewhere!), but whatever it is, it feels like a vacuum sucking us helplessly into this place we dread most. Cue the crickets.
The phone doesn’t ring. The world goes to black and white, like Dorothy in Kansas. It feels like our limbs are made of lead, weighted down and immovable.
Sometimes the still and stagnant moments in our life feel scarier than the crises and chaos.
At least when there’s urgency we can fly into action, as the sympathetic nervous system comes to our rescue. Adrenaline and endorphins surge through our system, flooding us with energy.
When there’s nothing—no crisis, no cause or culprit, no identifiable cure—we feel at a loss.
We may thrash about for a bit, desperately trying to shake it up again. Try something different. Drum up new business or change our approach. Fill our schedules. Turn up the volume. But no matter what we do, we seem to find ourselves in this quiet, empty, still space.
The silence is deafening. The lack of energy, desire or motivation renders us immobilized. The uncertainty lingers and seems to permeate every aspect of our lives. It’s terrifying!
“This too shall pass," the saying goes. But we find ourselves wondering, what if this doesn’t pass? What if the phone never rings again? What if we never feel excited and inspired? What if this as good as it gets? That prospect drains our life force.
What if we stopped resisting silent, still space and opened ourselves to its potential?
The term “flow” has become a familiar concept in the world of pop psychology. It was originally coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to describe a state of happiness. However, more recently, flow is associated with heightened productivity, focus, timelessness, and creativity. The notion is incredibly appealing in our achievement-oriented, success-driven society. Get more done faster and better? Yes, please!
Don’t get me wrong. Being in a flow state can be blissful. To be so utterly absorbed in a project or experience that all else falls away is wonderful. It brings a sense of liberation, like finally learning to catch a wave on a surfboard.
The flow of the ocean offers a sense of energy, life, and motion. When we are so preoccupied with catching the waves, we neglect the more subtle beauty of the ocean’s ebb.
The ebb tide occurs based on a gravitational pull. The waves slow and retreat back into the sea. The shoreline expands to reveal still pools of quiet marine life that reside under rocks, beneath the sand, or within shells.
This is not the time to go surfing, but it’s an excellent time to go exploring.
The waves of our life will inevitably recede. The pace of work (and/or income) may slow down. Relationships grow quiet at times. Motivation subsides.
Do not panic. There are valuable opportunities from an ebb state of being.
What happens to the landscape when the waves retreat?
We gain access to parts of the landscape we couldn’t see before, life previously unrealized. Colorful starfish cling to moss-drenched rocks. Timid sea anemones undulate gracefully in the lingering pools of water. Countless mollusks and mussels crowd together like Swifties in line for merch.
The ebb tide reveals something rich, interesting, and alive if we have the courage to explore it. That which resides in the tide pools of our psyche may be tender and vigilant, so approach gently and patiently.
Become aware of what dwells beneath the surface.
Are there dreams delayed, ideas untapped, inspiration hidden and clinging to rocks?
Just as seaglass is worn smooth and soft by the relentless stir of saltwater and sand, we also possess qualities within that have been strengthened and refined by life’s waves.
When we discover such treasures during the ebb tide, we are reminded of our resilience.
In the art world, negative space is considered to be as important as the material object. The emptiness in between helps to define boundaries, create balance, and reveal unexpected perspectives.
We seem to associate emptiness with insufficiency, like an empty gas tank or bank account. Consider the ancient wisdom of Lao Tzu in how he illustrates the value and potential of empty space. “Mold clay into a bowl. The empty space makes it useful.” In this example the emptiness surrounding the tangible object invites clarity and intention. How do we perceive the space? Will we choose to fill it? What could we fill it with?
There is possibility in the nothingness.
In music, the silence or pause is as integral as the sound of the notes.
The silence creates contrast and structure to what would otherwise just be noise. In fact, some of the most profound moments in music happen in between notes. A breath suspended in time. Anticipation. Resignation. In the pregnant pause, we wait for something to be revealed.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross persuades, “Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose, there are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.”
If we are willing to pay attention and open our senses with curiosity, valuable perspective and insight emerge. The ebb and flow of the tides are nature’s way of restoring balance and harmony. Enjoy the flow, and embrace your seasons of ebb. Take the opportunity during the ebbs of your life to roll up your cuffs and explore what lies beneath the waves. There are discoveries to be made in the silence, in the darkness, in the stillness, and in the empty spaces.
How to discover your treasure during the ebb:
Get curious about the empty, the silent, and/or the still moments in life.
Give yourself permission to embrace the nothingness with all your senses.
Make the ebb seasons more comfortable or tolerable for yourself.
Soften into the unknown.
Ground yourself in gratitude.
Embrace gentle self-exploration.