2nd opinion
a close up of pigeons I photographed - they wouldn’t stay still, so there appeared a ghost-like figure where they previously stood
Nothing is definite. There is no ‘one right answer’, there is no ‘one certain direction'. So, if you get an answer you don’t want, seek out a second opinion. If you’re not happy with the direction you’ve been guided towards, seek out a second opinion. There’s always another way – there might not always be an easy way, but it could be less difficult.
There is no ‘one answer’, there is no ‘one perspective’. You can always get another person’s opinion for a different answer to figure out what you need to do. You can always look through another person’s angle to get a different perspective to better understand where you’re at. Getting a second opinion will reduce your anxiety around conflicts in your mind. The second (and third and fourth) opinion enhances your view of the world and empowers you to make decisions that are better for you.
There is no ‘one way to move your body’, there is no ‘one way to eat’, and there is no ‘one way to heal your body’. If the way you move, the way you eat or the way you’re treating your ills does not make you feel hopeful and stronger by the day, then seek a second opinion. Learning different styles of movement – swim instead of run, dance in a different style, even concentrate on stillness instead of movement – increases your movement vocabulary from which you choose how you wish to express yourself in movement. Trying out different cuisines, different times of eating, and even different times of fasting will give you an opportunity to see what style (and time) of eating your body reacts to best. Getting varied opinions about how to heal your ills – different opinions about conventional medicine, learning about alternative medicines, and understanding about the possibilities of combining the two – put you in a position of actively caring for yourself, which will likely give you more hope for a successful outcome of the treatment you’ve chosen. It may be that you end up continuing to move, eat and treat your body as you do now, but having found other ways, other options, and other possibilities puts you in an empowering position of choosing what is best for you rather than defaulting on the only things you know.
There is no ‘one group of friends’ to be with, there is no ‘one role within a group’ that you have to take. If the group of friends you are with doesn’t give you a sense of belonging, doesn’t give you support and encouragement and doesn’t give you opportunities the laugh, you may well need to search for a new group of friends. New people are everywhere, you don’t need to know where to look, just look! Look in classes around a subject that you like (languages, history, politics), look where people might share your passions (photography lessons, walks in nature, theatre), and join a conversation that people around you are having (in a café or pub). And don’t assume you have to be in a certain role, “the serious one”, “the funny one”, “the quiet one” – we’re everything at different points in our lives, in different surroundings. Keep practicing being all of you that you are until you find what’s comfortable to be in any social situation. Seeking out new people, and trying out new roles within the group of friends broadens and enriches your life experience and your opportunities to love, live and laugh.
2nd opinions are about expanding your options, expanding your world view and expanding your surroundings so that you can choose the best way for you to be for you, the best way for you to move in the world, and the best people for you to share the world with. You might not find the perfect answer, the perfect cure, or the perfect people; but if you seek out the 2nd opinion, you will put yourself in an empowering position of choosing, and sometimes that choice includes seeking out 3rd, 4th, 5th, opinions.