Image by Please Don’t sell My Artwork AS IS from Pixabay
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to cram your foot into a glass slipper? One that did not fit? Me neither.
I think I like fairy tales more now than when I was a kid. As the deeper meanings of these universal stories become clearer, they really become more instructive.
So here we go.
Cinderella. Remember her? Me too. But not a lot about Cinderella and her experiences resonate with me.
But her ugly stepsisters? Now they are something special. I think they are the ones to learn from.
Why?
I think the whole idea of trying to squeeze your foot into a shoe that does not fit is obviously madness and vanity. They were both wise for giving it a shot, however. You have to try, right? They were both even wiser for knowing when the shoe doesn’t fit. Both sisters had the wisdom to know when conformity was not going to work out (according to Mrs. Swaim, in the Disney-esc versions only that is).
What if one of the sisters had insisted on conformity?
For amusement let us play with that idea. What if one sister insisted that the shoe actually fit? Let’s say the first ugly stepsister crammed her big ugly foot into the shoe, a size 8 glass slipper, and her foot is 10.5. And the poor old prince, well he gets to take home second place as his new bride. A shoe two sizes too small causes pain and people in pain are understandably not much fun to be around. Not a great way to start a marriage. Next, she will of course put on the matching and equally tight glass shoe. The pain is probably blinding! But at night when she takes them off, she can at least rest. A year goes by and now her feet are permanently damaged and deformed to the point of no return. She hurts all the time! Even when her shoes are off. And what is worse the constant limping has now become part of her central nervous system, her operating software. Her movement pattern has been adapted to her gait and now she has pain in her knees and hips and low back. But an unrepentant stepsister must persist. The prince avoids her because she has become so testy and impatient, due to lack of sleep. Lack of sleep leads to overeating and now she is putting on pounds. Doubly so due to the fact that she has become sedentary because of the pain. Another five years passes and now she has diabetes, and cardiorespiratory issues…all because she made herself conform to the shoe!
Do I need to continue?
Conformity to a random standard can be hazardous to your health. And your relationships!
As ridiculous as this scenario is, let me say, it happens all the time.
Let’s say you visit your doctor. She takes your blood pressure. And draws some blood. Then she reports back that your blood pressure does not conform to the normal 120/80. And then she says your cholesterol is above 200. You are a non-conformist. The Doctor says you need medicine. And you need to conform. She says you need to cram your foot into this “normal” shoe. She does not even ask about your shoe size!
Where did these two “normals” come from and why is everyone that deviates from these “normals” asked to cram their foot into that shoe?
As unbelievable as it sounds, all eight billion of us on this planet are different. Why would all eight billion of us need to conform to 120/80 or 200? Why is making a symptom conform to a “normal” pass for health care? Is that really the best we can do?
Maybe a better answer than driving down the symptom with medicine, is to ask another question.
A great place to start is to ask WHY is the blood pressure elevated? Are the kidneys working properly? How about the liver? What about the heart? What about the central nervous system? What about stress? All of these can create elevated blood pressure. Taking a pill and pretending the job is done is like pretending your foot fits the shoe.
Folks if you are tired of having your foot crammed into a shoe that does not fit without anyone asking your shoe size, speak up.
It may be a matter of life. And more life is always good!
If you think there might be a better way to get a shoe that fits, talk to us. We want to help.
Cheers,
ks