Expand Your Capacity; Befriend Your Dragon

Expand Your Capacity; Befriend Your Dragon

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about dragons. I’m not exactly sure why, but they just keep showing up. A friend recommended Here Be Dragons by Melanie Shankle. In a class I’m taking, we talked about how dragons often guard treasure and that to get that treasure, you have to be willing to go into the dragon’s cave and face it. As I’m thinking about this, wondering why it’s swirling around in my head, my dog brought me her stuffed dragon. You just can’t make this stuff up.

So, here I am, sitting with a dragon, literally and figuratively, and realizing maybe I’ve been standing in front of my own for a while now. For me, this dragon looks like a book I am writing. It feels big. I feel vulnerable. There are so many doubts and fears coming up to the surface. I hope there is treasure here, but honestly? I’ve been circling the cave for a long time, wondering if I’m brave enough to go in.

At first, I thought my job was to slay the dragon. I needed to charge in, get it done, and finally silence that voice that’s whispering, You can’t do this. Who do you think you are? (Hello, draft one.)

As I’ve taken shaky steps toward the cave and then into it, something unexpected has happened. Instead of fighting the dragon, I found myself sitting beside it. Not just sitting but asking questions. Getting to know it.

Some of the questions are deep, like:
What treasure are you guarding?
Why are you here?
What do I need to learn to be ready for what’s inside this cave?

Some of them are… well… less deep:
Are you a he or a she?
How would I even know?
Does it matter to do this work if I never figure it out?

Even the silly questions have a place because they mean I’m engaging. I’m staying in the conversation instead of running away or going into battle. I guess that’s how we befriend a dragon — by not charging at it with a sword, but by sitting down, asking questions, and getting curious.

I’m realizing I don’t need to protect myself from the dragon. I think I need to learn from it. Maybe the dragon is here to help me figure out how much I want this treasure and whether I’m willing to grow to carry it out.

So, instead of fighting, I’m sitting beside the dragon, awkwardly and obviously, because hey, it is a dragon, but I’m still doing it. Not because I’ve won a battle or because I have it all figured out, but because I’m trying to learn. I’m trying to let the dragon teach me something about courage, patience, and creating from a deeper place.

(Goodbye, draft one, what I thought I was writing. Hello, draft two, what I’m finding to write.)

It reminds me of Pete’s Dragon, the moment in the cave when they find out Elliot the dragon is friendly. I think sometimes what feels like a dragon in our lives, the thing that scares us, that feels too big, is actually standing between us and the treasure of who we really are.

I’m starting to wonder if expanding our capacity to love deeper, to create bravely, to keep going, doesn’t always happen when we charge in swinging. Maybe it happens when we’re willing to sit down, get curious, and ask, What’s the treasure you’re guarding? What do I need to learn here?

I don’t know what your dragons look like. Maybe it’s a dream that feels too big. A step you’re scared to take. A part of yourself you’ve kept hidden.

I don’t have all the answers, but I will share the one thing I have discovered. Sitting beside the dragon, asking, wondering, staying curious, is where I’m finding unexpected strength, and maybe even a little magic.

If you’re trying to figure out if you can stare down your own dragon, consider taking a breath, pulling up a chair, and getting curious. Here’s hoping you find your own treasure there.

I’ll be over here, sitting beside mine and cheering you on.

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