Imagine you are on a bus on a warm summer’s day. Let’s make it one of those bright red London buses and you’re sitting on the bottom level.
You’re surrounded by all kinds of people. Some are wearing clothes, some are naked and some are in-between.
And then there’s you.
Every time you have a negative thought, you put on a piece of clothing. Soon, as your negative thoughts build, you are almost covered in clothes. You have scarves and hats and coats up to the yin yang and still you go on.
‘I’m not good enough.’
‘I can’t do that.’
‘People will think I’m arrogant and up myself.’
‘She didn’t like the way I did that so I should apologise…even though I didn’t do anything wrong.’
‘He didn’t like what I said so I should keep quiet in the future.’
‘I never get anything right.’
By this stage, you can barely see the other passengers because you’re being consumed by clothing. Your negative thoughts are slowly suffocating you.
Through a gap in your wooly scarf, you see the bus conductor approaching. He’s wearing what you’d describe as a normal amount of clothing.
He stops nearby and asks for your ticket. But all you can do is shrug – well it looks more like a mountain of fabric shuddering.
The conductor reaches for his machine, prints you a ticket and places it in your gloved hand. On the ticket are the words, ‘You are perfect as you are. Just do your best and know that is enough.’
The reverse side says, ‘Others will judge you harshly because that’s how they judge themselves. Only you can make you feel good about you.’
The conductor smiles and continues up the aisle past you.
As you read the words on the ticket, you realise they are true and the most amazing thing starts to happen.
All those clothes you’re wearing start to shift. Scarves are unwinding themselves and those ten hats start flying off in all directions. Some land on the heads of other people. Some just land on empty seats, waiting for the next passenger.
The 12 coats you’re wearing split at the seams.
Soon you are sitting in a summer dress and sandals and you can breathe again.
You get up, walk down the aisle and make your way upstairs to the top level of the bus. There are a few other people up there too. They’re laughing, chilling out, reading books and relaxing.
They all look happy and they are all wearing the normal amount of clothes for a summer’s day.
You sit down, smile to yourself, look out at the passing scenery and think, I should have done this years ago.
Illustration courtesy of Munster Design & Print.