As I start writing this, Iām sitting on a ferry, heading to Sweden. My cousin lives there and heās 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.
Itās 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 itās 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 didnāt finish it. Looking right now at what I wrote, Iāve 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, Iāve found myself in the ātooā boat. Too busy, too tired, too aware that I need to use the tools I have at hand to minimise the stress Iām 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 Iām 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 Iāve come out the other side of those busy weeks feeling a little raw and tired but okay.
Iāve 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 isnāt the healthiest way to exist.
Since moving here Iāve yet to find a suitable rhythm. Iāve had so many different jobs and an unreliable income resulting in long periods of working with little time offālike now. Iāve worked almost full-time since August last year with only a few weeks offāand not in a row. Iām 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 donāt make time for rest and recovery? How do we support ourselves and others in this?
These are questions Iām 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.
Iāve ridden many waves of change in my five decades. Some Iāve managed gracefully, calmly. Others, perhaps not so much. We tend to embrace some changes more readily than othersāthe changes we choose and (seemingly) control are preferred over those that come with little warning. As my āchange of lifeā body reminds me (often daily), smoothly adapting to change is not something to take for grantedācare 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 planetāthe rise and fall of tides, of civilisations, of ideas and ideologiesāshines without judgement.
As I finish writing, our planet has travelled again around the sun. Iām 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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Iām Watching
Ted Lasso is one of the best series Iāve ever seen. Seriously. I laughed and cried. Often in the same episode. I watched the final (ever!) last week and am devastated theyāre not making more but safe in the thought I can rewatch the whole three seasons again and again. Itās about football/soccer, Americans living in the UK, emotions, football and emotions, love, and relationships. Worth checking out!
Iām 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. Iād recommend looking through the archive and listening to one where the title resonates.
Iām Reading
My reading has mostly been short form these past few weeks. Iām 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! Iām ditching perfection š