Reemerging and reconnecting
Hi friends, family, mentors and clients past and present,
My last communication with you all was September of 2022. Almost a year. While I am 100% certain that no-one out there is losing sleep over the absence of my newsletters, I have become increasingly aware of late that I have missed my monthly Rambles with you. It helps me both to focus and learn when I dedicate a little time once a month to gather my thoughts and reflect on something that has come up in my life or work - a spark that has captured my attention or engaged my curiosity.
2023 has been extraordinary. My partner was diagnosed with cancer in February and suddenly, overnight, we were thrown into the underworld - the machine that is daily cancer treatment. It’s a club that so many people belong to or have belonged to in the past, and nearly everyone knows and loves someone who has belonged to the club. Despite how frighteningly prevalent cancer is, and no matter how much remarkable love and support you get from friends and moreover, strangers, it was a profoundly lonely and scary time. While my partner is through treatment and the prognosis looks good, the road to healing for him, for me, and for us, is long and slow - and like with all the devastating and difficult challenges that life throws at you - there’s a little piece of you that is forever changed. And that’s ok. Joy and Sorrow.
We transitioned permanently up to my house in VT in late July and Maple Tree Cottage is working her magic in the healing department. It’s really hard (for me at least) to be angry or upset about anything when you live in a state that has 78% tree coverage! August is a quiet time for me work wise which is such a blessing. I even put my vacation autoresponder on for the first time since I launched the business is 2020. I needed deep and real rest in order begin to heal, and to support my partner in his recovery.
Had a lightbulb moment recently when my dear friend and long time yoga instructor Jojo Reger shared this piece of wisdom while we were preparing for Mountain (Standing) Pose, “It takes effort and energy to stand still.” It’s so hard for us to press pause and stand still for while isn’t it? How do you put down your phone, say ‘no’, be unavailable in 2023? That’s a whole other blog for another time but what I will share is that after taking just one week away from client work, I noticed a marked increase in my productivity - and in the quality of my output. I had to write an Executive summary of a 17 document Leadership Transition Plan and it took just a handful of hours rather than laboring over it for days as would have been the case just a few weeks prior. Note to self - its important to practice stepping back and stepping away. Yoga is called a ‘practice’ for a reason. We have to practice standing still. I am refreshed and reinvigorated and ready to reemerge and connect. This letter is a step in that process.
Closing with a poem that has seeped its way into my consciousness by unexpectedly showing up several times in the last two months.
Thanks for Rambling with me today.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
RUMI