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A groove, a rut, and a grave

Marlon Rodrigues
Marlon Rodrigues
1 min read
A groove, a rut, and a grave
Photo by Wei-Cheng Wu / Unsplash

I moved houses this week in Bali, going from the spiritual centre in the middle of the island to the surf center on the southern tip.

After 9 months in the same, beautiful home, I felt a sense of forward motion when I recalled wisdom a friend shared with me more than 15 years ago:

There’s a fine line between a groove, a rut and a grave.

I loved my last home and the people that were part of my daily life.

My landlord grew a whole baby during my stay (!!) and I’d found more and more people to nod to as I zipped by on my scooter.

Getting into the groove is a good thing, and not a given.

When I was traveling a bunch last year, my body craved for a rhythm in a place that nurtured it.

Getting into the groove was the prize for finding the factors that put my mind and body into flow.

I realize that this line of thinking conflicts with a saying that has lived in my mind even longer:

If it ain’t broke, don’t fit it

There was nothing broken about my last situation.

But a rut is just a deeper groove that causes you to get stuck.

And that shit needs to be avoided as much as possible because it is just one step removed from the final stage, the grave - a place that needs no introduction.

I’m finding new motivation in this recalled wisdom as I pattern routines and seek communities that put me in the groove with special appreciation for the insight that put me in forward motion again :)