Chad kept to himself most of the time. Tied stronger than a dry rope tied to a pole, Chad didn’t say much. You felt it running from room to room. It left a strange trail of energy that clung to you like drool after passing by.
You could tell everything you needed to know about the day you would have in his company by the trembling of his lips. The fine lines followed meant the steam would come later – anger and frustration would press behind those tight lips. In conversation, he came out in clipped sentences, as if his inner confusion cut through the words like a writhing snake before releasing them.
A slight trembling of the lips let us know that great sighs fostered liberation. A tsunami of pent-up anguish and pain would soon wash over us.
The Water Bomber leaves a soggy trail on its emotional path. Sometimes up, sometimes down, you never know what you’ll get with the Water Bomber.
We have probably felt that the Water Bomber takes over our own personality. Have you ever felt overwhelmed and frustrated by a situation, powerless to make a change? Or perhaps the deep pain of not fitting in, of not being understood, and of not feeling safe at work?
The Water Bomber arises when our place in the tribe feels threatened. We are communal creatures and belonging is one of our basic survival needs. Being part of a community, especially a work community, helps us feel nurtured and encouraged in the face of life’s challenges. If that is threatened, by unpleasant comments from a colleague, or if we are excluded from a conversation or activity, we can sulk and become enraged. We can cry and sigh. We feel small and do our best to shrink further from pain. As we do that, our emotional debris further alienates others, further exacerbating the situation.
If we discover that our internal water bomber has been activated, we must look at where we belong. We can wonder if we are contributing to the community or just hoping to get out of it. We cannot receive what we do not give ourselves! Ultimately, we choose to feel like we belong. Or we go.
If we have a Water Bomber on our team, our main responsibility is to show appreciation and offer peace of mind. We all want to feel included. We all long to be seen, heard and valued. As leaders, a kind word and a warm smile can do wonders for encouraging others.
When has your inner devil felt from the surface of Water Bomber? How did you recover? When have you seen it in others? How was it resolved? What triggered it?
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