BLUE TAPE

Martin sat in my office at the edge of the couch. His hands were clasped as he was bent forward with his arms resting on his knees. Martin’s head was down. He briefly looed up and made eye contact with me when I asked him to stand up for a moment. He looked confused.

I went over to my desk and opened the top drawer. The afternoon sun was shining through the partially closed slats of the shade on the window. It illuminated a roll of painter’s blue tape which I took out. I walked over to Martin, stopping a few feet away. Bending over, I ripped off about a foot of the tape and placed it on the rug a foot in front of him.

‘Martin,’ I said looking him square in the eyes. ‘you have been complaining about your life to me for the past six months. We talk and discuss the problems with work, the problems with your marriage and with you feeling like you have no future. The only thing that you haven’t done in our sessions, it truly decide to work on yourself.’ At this point, Martin began to squirm a little bit. He shifted his weight from one shoe to the other and back. He then started to sit down.

‘No Martin!’ I said with a slightly raised voice. ‘remain standing for a minute. I put this strip of blue tape on the ground before you for a reason.’ He looked down at the tape then glanced at me for his usual brief second before averting his eyes elsewhere. ‘As I stated, you haven’t made any steps forward to begin to change your life.’ Martin looked at the clock on the wall. “I know our time is about up, but I have one last task, one last attempt to have you choose to move forward and stop complaining.’

‘Martin, that strip of blue tape represents the border between where you are currently in all your anguish and sorrow, and your decision for choosing to begin to grow and face your problems as you see them. Stepping over that tape is your choice to truly begin to work on yourself and face the challenges you have been avoiding. It will not be easy. But I can assure you that the end result will be beyond your wildest expectations. But that is only if you chose to do the work with your entire heart and soul.’

‘What is your decision Martin?’ he stood there tears streaming from is tightly closed eyes. Martin sat down and began to sob uncontrollably. A few minutes later he opened his eyes and quietly got up from the couch. He was careful to not step over the blue tape. Martin quietly picked up his coat and made his way to the door. ‘See yo again next week, Doc?’ he asked like he needed my permission to return. ‘Of course Martin. I will be here, and so will that strip of blue tape. I suggest you reflect on its meaning.’