Rapids

I have the words to a song playing in my head:  rock the boat don't tip the boat over rock the boat...I don't know the rest but I am thinking that the song is informing me of something big.  What if I rock the boat, someone else's boat, and it tips and they fall out?  I expect that they might not expect this, and as they hit the water and go under, that they might sputter and splash as they fight their way back to the surface.  They might laugh at me for tipping them in and try to return the favour; they might get angry with me and curse me;  they might thank me and suggest that they feel refreshed and wished they had some shampoo for the sudden bath. The possibilities are endless and depending upon the circumstances, the relationship, the individual and their unique take on the world, it could be devastating or it could be one of the best experiences of their life. In coaching, coach and client climb into a boat, sometimes traveling rough waters. The coach has the oars and can powerfully steer the client into rapids, ones that threaten to catapult the client into the crashing waves...the coach knows the client will survive if this happens because they not only have the ability to swim to shore on their own, they also have a life jacket, the relationship, keeping them from going under and staying there.  Keeping someone safe from pain is not serving them, it is rescuing them from a truth they want to know, a truth that when exposed, can set them free. Julie Veitch, Mary Butler, Szos St Germain, Thank You all for this message...the third time was the charm.