unleash, unravel, untie: transformation’s triple crown

Truly, all I wanted to do was select a word for the day. A single word. But these three refused to be separated. Conjoined triplets, as it were, they kept needling me: “Take one of us, you take us all!”

So here are your words for the day, the day, the day, straight out of Words of Wisdom for Women, which (I kid you not!) is part of a Buy Two, Get One Free sale going on now, click here, at bn.com.

As segue, here also is a not-quite trinity of art from this fascinating website devoted to the number three.That’s cubist (as in, to the third power) Picasso’s Three Women at the Spring on your left, not sure of the origin of the Interiors of Three Bowls photo on your right.

In addition to threes in science, nature, language, art, history, sports, religion, you name it, The Book of Threes on-line trycyclopedia also includes quotes like the Chinese proverb, “After three leaps, even a toad needs a rest,” and Albert Einstein’s “Three Rules of Work: 1. Out of clutter find simplicity; 2. From discord find harmony; and 3. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

And now, your words for the day! Take as many as you like; they’ll be here tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow.

Unleash

Let ‘er rip! Unleash your passion and woe be unto those who aren’t ready for you! Unleash your vast and limitless creative powers — and watch what you bring forth from your hands, from clay and paper, wood and wheat. Unleash your ability to heal, and let the healing begin. Unleash your physical strength and start running up hills and swimming across channels and trekking in your wheelchair. Unleash your mind! Break free from old, boxy, limited ways of thinking, and radiate your genius throughout the lecture hall and the laboratory and the lunchroom. Stop holding back your compassion, your insight, your laughter, your innate wisdom, your boundless capacity for living. Warn them if you will, for when you cut the reins and the leash comes off, the power most definitely goes on.

Unravel

Unravel the story that is your life. Untangle the knots, and take a long look at what has held it all together. Where is it twisted, where is it the most beautiful? What loose ends still hang – and how might they best be tied off? What connections have become frayed, what small chinks have grown into daunting chasms? Commit to unraveling the greater mysteries: the whys and wherefores that hold sway over your existence. Draw back the curtains and let new light shine in. Disengage from the jumble of events and emotions, and pick up the thread you dropped along the way. Examine the complexity of your own self, the sheer intricacy of the journey that is your life. What a marvel to unravel!

Untie

Loosen up! Untie your shoes and run barefoot through the grass; you’re likely to untie some of the knots in your stomach and neck, too. Slip into something more comfortable, like a less restrictive job or a relationship based on freedom instead of fear. Forget the apron strings — those that attach you or attach others to you. The finding is in the unbinding. Untether yourself from the chains that keep you from exploring every nook and cranny of your world. Tug ever so gently at the strings that you believe are holding everything together. How do they truly keep you apart — and from what? Isn’t it time you try to untie?