When I am in the UK, I use a mobile phone that has a solitaire game on it. It's your basic card game on a screen, good for passing the time occasionally on a train or the tube.
Every few games, a message pops up saying, "You might be out of moves... select New Game from the menu." Now, early on, I assumed that the game was over at this point and, yes, I would start a new game.
However, at some point, I came to the realization that this message actually (and rather diabolically!) popped up most frequently when I was on the cusp of winning the game, or at the least, when there were in fact many possible moves left on the screen. It's almost as if it has been programmed to try to keep people from winning.
All right, you have me pegged. There's a metaphor here. Especially for someone with a life like mine. Periodically, I look at the game of my life and the message that pops up on my "inner" screen is, "you're out of moves, girl. It's sure been interesting, but you're not going to get permanently to your goal, so forget it. Game over. Start over from scratch." And, yes, for years that's what I did. But I think the same thing can be true in life; at the very moment you think, I have no clue how to proceed, and it seems like the game of life is totally unwinnable, that may be the very moment when in fact you are practically at your goal. Certainly, it is a moment when it's best to take a deep breath, not lose heart and not overreact.
If my metaphor is correct, then this can be when there is about to be a life equivalent of that moment when all the cards start to move of their own accord -- "swoosh" -- into the piles of suits. The momentum that has built up can't stop itself. The key I guess is not focusing so much on "winning" the game, but just getting beyond that discouraging inner discourse to make the next move, even a tiny one, in the direction of your dream. That's my plan for this week!
