A zebra's stripes never repeat. Not between two animals, not on the left and right of the same one. What repeats is the idea of stripes, and we read it as a pattern because that is what our eyes do with variation. The thing you are calling a repeating cycle may be the same kind of trick.
Perhaps you've asked yourself: why do I keep ending up here, why does every version of this feel familiar, why can't I break the pattern.
I ask myself this when I notice I keep reaching for the same explanations and reasons. On the surface, they appear valid as a shortcut. But, the details aren't the same. In fact, nothing is really the same between events, even if they look similar. The pressure to move fast forces a compression.
So the repetition isn't really a repetition. It's a rhythm with slight variations. Something in you is working on it, bringing it back around slightly changed, waiting for the version where you respond differently.
Can you slow down long enough to notice what's different this time?
Some patterns are worth keeping. The work is telling the rehearsals apart from the ruts.
I wrote about the noticing underneath this in Who is experiencing this?.
If something surfaced while you sat with this one, and you feel comfortable to share, I'd like to hear it. Private, under your name, or anonymous, whichever feels right to you.
Drawn from Creative Space prompts and here for you to explore whenever you like. Members have access to the full Seed Bank; guests can access today's seed. To join me live in a Creative Space session, register on Luma.
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