Riding the Waves of Change
Stormy seas or calm waters? Or something in between.
As I start writing this, I’m sitting on a ferry, heading to Sweden. My cousin lives there and he’s the only family of mine who lives closer than 15,000km away. The sun is shining, the wind is chilly and the ferry is rocking.
It’s a good metaphor for life, a rocky ferry trip. Life has its ups and downs and you ride the waves, some big and seemingly mountainous, others quite manageable. Sometimes it’s calm too, a beautiful wide stretch of mirror-like serenity to enjoy while it lasts.
I started writing something completely different a few weeks ago - about change - and life got quite hectic so I didn’t finish it. Looking right now at what I wrote, I’ve started afresh because the waters are different today. Life, a little less smooth.
Despite searching for balance and having a fabulous toolkit of coping strategies now, I’ve found myself in the “too” boat. Too busy, too tired, too aware that I need to use the tools I have at hand to minimise the stress I’m starting to feel in my body.
Some of the busyness is of my own doing. I started a new job whilst still committed to remnants of relief teaching, resulting in my working ten days in a row with only one day off in between - it was a little too much. The band I’m in with my husband had a gig we were preparing for too, so evenings were taken up with that for three weeks. You may be pleased to hear the gig went well and I’ve come out the other side of those busy weeks feeling a little raw and tired but okay.
I’ve found that the more in tune with my body and emotions I am, the more intense busy periods can feel. Previously, I just soldiered on with little connection to what my body was screaming at me. I was lucky that my job as a teacher in Australia followed a pattern of intense work over about ten weeks with a couple of weeks off in between to collapse/relax, before repeating it all again. This rhythm suited me. Perhaps because it allowed the collapse time which in hindsight isn’t the healthiest way to exist.
Since moving here I’ve yet to find a suitable rhythm. I’ve had so many different jobs and an unreliable income resulting in long periods of working with little time off—like now. I’ve worked almost full-time since August last year with only a few weeks off—and not in a row. I’m noticing the impact of this, and not in a good way.
How do we effectively balance our energy? How do we navigate the waves of change if we don’t make time for rest and recovery? How do we support ourselves and others in this?
These are questions I’m asking and exploring as I head towards the next decade of my life.
My business venture, Flourish, is all about those questions, helping others navigate change and accept rest and recovery into their lives, even as I navigate them myself. Our bodies, the vessels we inhabit, carry us through the rough and the smooth, containing so much information to help us navigate if we can keep the lines of communication open and learn to decode the information we receive.
I’ve ridden many waves of change in my five decades. Some I’ve managed gracefully, calmly. Others, perhaps not so much. We tend to embrace some changes more readily than others—the changes we choose and (seemingly) control are preferred over those that come with little warning. As my ‘change of life’ body reminds me (often daily), smoothly adapting to change is not something to take for granted—care and attention are often required.
As the full moon rises over the horizon, I breathe deeply, giving thanks to the cycles that repeat, weekly, monthly, yearly. I bathe in the moonlight, scarcely noticeable in the lovely twilight the nights have become here. The moon, witness to all that happens on this blue planet—the rise and fall of tides, of civilisations, of ideas and ideologies—shines without judgement.
As I finish writing, our planet has travelled again around the sun. I’m home again. I feel more settled than in previous days, despite the windy weather. A little more calm. Grounded. I remember to drop into my body. To get out of my head. To feel more and worry less.
I remind myself that change will happen whether I want it to or not, and being open to greet it is a great way of being.
Stay well,
Lisa x
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I’m Watching
Ted Lasso is one of the best series I’ve ever seen. Seriously. I laughed and cried. Often in the same episode. I watched the final (ever!) last week and am devastated they’re not making more but safe in the thought I can rewatch the whole three seasons again and again. It’s about football/soccer, Americans living in the UK, emotions, football and emotions, love, and relationships. Worth checking out!
I’m Listening
My 30-minute drive to work means I can dip regularly into podcasts. I somehow found this one, The SelfHealers Soundboard via the Holistic Psychologist. I’d recommend looking through the archive and listening to one where the title resonates.
I’m Reading
My reading has mostly been short form these past few weeks. I’m enjoying
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I need to know more about the band!
And if anyone is reading this - I meant the earth rotating rather than travelling round the sun - which takes a year. You get what I meant! I’m ditching perfection 😜