When I was young, I used to play tag. Tag is a game where one person is “it” and everybody else is not “it”. The object for “it” is to touch somebody who is not “it” and then they become “it” and “it” becomes not “it”. Home base is a place where even if “it” touches somebody, they do not become “it”. On home base, the drama of the game disappears. The risk of becoming “it” disappears. Home base is safety.
Tag is a fun game because of the drama of becoming “it” and not “it”. The value of being not “it” is in its temporary nature and the the possibility of becoming “it”. The motivation for “it” to chase people is the reward of becoming not “it” and making somebody else “it”. As the players buy into the drama of game, real anxieties arise as they run from “it” toward the safety of home base. The safety of home base immediately releases the anxiety and excitement of the chase.
In adult life, I still play tag. The world creates all kinds of “it”s that I either want to become or not become. Those “it”s can be big things like careers, relationships, or enlightenment, or they can be little things like not wanting to be late for an appointment or to do the dishes. Some of those “it”s that I create for myself, or that other people create for me, can be very consuming and hard to let go of when I touch home base. Fortunately, I know where home base is. Many people are not so fortunate.
I live my life caught up in the drama of all my life situations. I am always running toward this and away from that. No matter where I run or how I run, toward or away, I have my breath. If I am paying attention to my breath, I breathe. If I forget all about my breath, I still breathe. Whenever I need to feel safe, whether chasing, or being chased, I can bring my attention to my breath and in that moment, I am on home base. I become “it” and not “it” at the same time, with nothing to run from or toward.
In that place of safety, I can sense what is happening around me. I can see. I can hear. I can smell. I can feel aches, pains and pleasantries. I can notice thoughts. I can notice emotions. When I have rested on home base long enough to sense what is happening around me in the present moment and change my outlook a little, then I can forget about my breath and run back into the yard to chase and be chased and to wonder what “it” is all about.
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