“Straight” is one of those words that can have so many different contexts and meanings. Some take offense to the word, while in other contexts, it is an ideal to strive for. My daughter, who has a 17-degree curve in her back, recently went to a new physical therapist who examined her and developed a comprehensive exercise and stretching plan to help her standing posture. While watching my daughter practice her new exercises, I began to think about a bigger lesson in stretching and straightening up.
When we communicate, we are not always successful in getting our point across. The problem can be that the receiver of the message has a filter that doesn’t allow the message to get through; it can be that we failed to make a necessary connection that makes our point easier to digest; it can be that we are speaking in jargon or expressing too complex of an idea for the audience to grasp. Whatever the case may be, we need to stretch ourselves by being open to feedback and adjusting our message so it is clear. Doing so helps us become more straight-forward in what we are trying to say. Stretching can be a communication tool we can use in order to improve our message.
Stretching and straightening also come into play when trying to improve our negative habits. If we struggle with procrastination, idleness, an addiction, depression, being self-righteous or judgmental, or even being apathetic, we can stretch ourselves in the opposite direction to eventually straighten our way and overcome these curves in life. Of course this takes time and practice, but when we make the decision that we want to stand straight… that is the first step to our healing. In the end, we may never get to be perfectly straight in our communication or our habits, but we will come closer to our ideal.
