Progress

Today on my morning walk, I came across a broken tree limb hanging directly over the middle of a section of the path I was walking, suspended by nothing more than a vine. It occurred to me that that limb could drop at any moment, but I wanted to continue on that particular route rather than turning around and taking another. So, I took the risk and walked under the precariously hanging limb. As I continued on my walk, I thought about how ephemeral life is and how we keep on living and doing all the things despite the risk that at any given moment, we could be sidelined, or even wiped out depending on the event.

Then, my non sequitur brain shifted to thinking about Star Wars. I know. But it isn’t as random as it seems. No surprise, I’m a Star Wars fan (and Stargate and Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica - I’m an equal-opportunity SciFi kind of woman). But what did surprise me was that I thought of one of my least favorite films in the franchise, Attack of the Clones. Don’t get me started on those first two prequel movies. I can’t even with the midi-chlorians and all that. But I do like most of Revenge of the Sith. I mean, the soundtrack alone is worth showing up for. Pair “Battle of the Heroes” with the stunning visuals on Mustafar as mentor and mentee face off against a volcanic backdrop over differences of opinions over a prophecy? I’m in. But I digress…

Attack of the Clones. Yeah, I was surprised when that film came to mind because it’s not my favorite, but there was a particular scene that stood out to me. It’s the scene where Padmé, a senator, and Anakin, a Jedi Knight, end up in a Genosian droid factory when their mission to rescue Obi-Wan goes awry. They get separated and are each trying to make their way through the crucible of the droid assembly line. Pretty much, they only have one way to go, forward. But the path is wrought with deadly obstacles including the stampers, cutters, and vats of molten alloy used to make the droid army. As they work through the gauntlet, each of them does it their own way. Anakin rushes, hacking his way through as much as possible, and paces furiously whenever his way is blocked with a stamper. Padmé has a more measured approach, observing what she can of the assembly line, and then timing her movements in calculated bursts between the action of the stampers. Though they have different approaches, both of them continue to move forward. Not just on the Genosian assembly line, but in their personal quests for survival, and their shared quest to save their friend.

Thankfully, none of our journeys towards our various goals are as fraught with danger and drama as that scene from the Star Wars universe (well, I hope they aren’t anyway). But there is a takeaway from that scene. No matter the approach, whether it’s a form of attack mode or baby steps, full force, or a more measured modality, improv or meticulously crafted, plotter or pantser, progress is possible. Perhaps even inevitable. Of course, our approach can often affect our outcome, and it can definitely affect our experience along the way. But thankfully, we get to play with our approaches, try things out, and learn what works (or doesn’t work) for us. And even in the midst of that exploration, we are still making progress on the path. Here’s to moving forward, despite the obstacles, and to playing to our strengths and finding what works along the way.