box of rope

what if life was like a box of rope?  

inside the box would be a carefully collected bundled mass of all different kinds of rope.  thick ones, colorful ones, dirty ones, frayed ones and brand new ones.  and each rope represented a set of experiences, or people or things all woven together and formed into an artifact that could be returned to at any given time.  the length of the rope would be equivalent to the amount of time put into each experience or person or thing.  and as much as they would be a visual representation of the different aspects of your life, they would also be functional.  so the more experiences you give yourself, the more equipped you are for whatever life brings your way.

wouldn't that be cool?  and you could choose if your box was a tangled mess, or neatly sorted bundles- perfectly wrapped, tied and labeled.  it wouldn't matter, because it is your collection.  at any given time, you could look at your collection of ropes and see a representation of all the different components of your life. 

for the free spirited person like myself, the thought of having the tangible ability to see the results of  a life that is lived by listening to my heart and holding tight to my dreams, would be incredible!

i would imagine that in my collection, there would be a durable rope.  one that's strong and meant to stand the test of time.  it would show a lot of wear, but no weakness.  it would be a solid color with two fine strands of primary colors woven throughout, adding zest and youthfulness.  this rope would be my family.

another rope would be pure white.  shiny and possibly made of a synthetic material like nylon.  it would look great in the package, but after one use, would show dirt.  this rope would be my pantry.  the older i get the more my body tells me to eat fresh foods which have not been processed or packaged.  the foods in my pantry look good and taste great, but make my body hurt.  

then there would be a very faded and worn gray rope.  it's been sun beaten and weathered.  it may have once been another color, but now has blended into a neutral shade, seemingly colorless.  this rope would be my wardrobe.  my favorite things to wear are the result of years of breaking in and outlasted fads.   found by swapping, saving and thrifting.....very rarely purchased new.  

near the top of my collection would be a rope that if you look closely, would be made of many smaller ropes.  because if each rope is a collection of strands, then this one would be a collection of ropes!  there would be strands made of every vibrant color you could possibly imagine, strands made of natural twine, strands of the finest silk, a small strand of solid gold even, shoot...some would even been electrical wire connected to a string of lights.  this rope would be my amazing friends. 

and there would be one more rope.  this one almost like fishing line, but a million times thicker.  it is transparent, and sparkles in the light.  it's very strong, but almost difficult to see.  it coordinates and works well with every other rope in the box.  this rope is used more than any other rope in the box, but doesn't show any signs of wear.  this rope would be my faith.  

of course, my box would have many other ropes.  some of which i may have nearly forgotten i even had.  but they're there.  they might include ropes of travel, education, birthdays and times of difficulty.  

and no.  my collection wouldn't be neatly bundled or labeled.  i'd have to untie knots whenever i pulled a rope from the box, because they'd all be tangled.  

but that's just the way i like it. 

"(Life) is like a piece of rope; 

it takes on meaning only in connection 

with the things it holds together."  

                                                            -adapted from Norman Cousins 

                                      *life was use in place of the words "a book"