More about landing places....
October has come, and fall is in the air, even way down here in south Georgia. Maybe it's the changing of seasons that has turned my thoughts to change, and what a friend calls Landing Places. These are the new directions and inner places we come to rest in following upheaval in life.
Change isn't always difficult, but significant changes, like losing someone or something significant, can force us to live in a whole new way. Maybe we've lost employment, moved away, experienced illness, loss of loved one, or maybe our last child has left the nest. Now what? We've been thrown out of the comfort zone and may feel sad, angry, or even disoriented, but here's the thing: there is another comfort zone awaiting our arrival. We'll get there, Have faith. Getting there seems to happen in stages, each with a unique time table and pace.
First we spin a little (or a lot). We feel uprooted, vulnerable, or even disoriented. It's okay. It won't last forever, but as long as you're spinning, there is something to learn. You can learn a lot about yourself by watching how you react. Pay attention because here is where your body, heart, and soul are talking to you, telling you what you need.
Does Facebook make you angry, depressed, or lonely? You're not the only one. Maybe you need support. Get it. Turn off social media, call a friend or visit with someone in person.
Do you feel overwhelmed by phone calls, emails, texts, and social media?Maybe you need solitude. Create some. Set aside some time for yourself, even if you have to get up earlier than everyone else to do it. Turn off your phone for a while, keep your inbox cleaned out, and unsubscribe to your hearts content to email notices you don't really need.
Are you more emotional than usual and feeling sad? Maybe you need good old fashioned comforting. Everyone does at times.
If you pay attention to knee jerk reactions you can use the spin to figure out what you really need. Then, take healthy action on your own behalf. If you need help, tell a trusted friend, find a counselor, or share what's happening with a religious or spiritual leader if you have one. You don't have to go it alone. This spin is temporary, and, if we can focus on what we are trying to tell ourselves in our deepest heart, we invite healing. That's how it works for me, anyway.
No spin lasts forever.
Then we breathe. We coast for a while; not really spinning, but still not feeling the ground. We are simply riding the wave, and this is okay, too. It's a good thing, actually. Some people call it limbo. I see it as cocoon time. Do you think the caterpillar knows about those wings she's sprouting? Probably not, but they sprout anyway, right?
For now, just rest.
And then, my friends, we land. Our feet find the ground and we find our stride on a new, and often unexpected, path. That new path may be a job, school, a hobby, a creative endeavor, or lifestyle change. That is our landing place. Maybe we were aiming for it, or maybe it came as a complete surprise, but either way it brings healing, energizes us, and provides an avenue for meaningful action.
A landing place can restore our sense of direction and purpose. If you think about it, you may notice that you have had several throughout your life.
Right now, mine is art.
What's yours?
Change isn't always difficult, but significant changes, like losing someone or something significant, can force us to live in a whole new way. Maybe we've lost employment, moved away, experienced illness, loss of loved one, or maybe our last child has left the nest. Now what? We've been thrown out of the comfort zone and may feel sad, angry, or even disoriented, but here's the thing: there is another comfort zone awaiting our arrival. We'll get there, Have faith. Getting there seems to happen in stages, each with a unique time table and pace.
First we spin a little (or a lot). We feel uprooted, vulnerable, or even disoriented. It's okay. It won't last forever, but as long as you're spinning, there is something to learn. You can learn a lot about yourself by watching how you react. Pay attention because here is where your body, heart, and soul are talking to you, telling you what you need.
Does Facebook make you angry, depressed, or lonely? You're not the only one. Maybe you need support. Get it. Turn off social media, call a friend or visit with someone in person.
Do you feel overwhelmed by phone calls, emails, texts, and social media?Maybe you need solitude. Create some. Set aside some time for yourself, even if you have to get up earlier than everyone else to do it. Turn off your phone for a while, keep your inbox cleaned out, and unsubscribe to your hearts content to email notices you don't really need.
Are you more emotional than usual and feeling sad? Maybe you need good old fashioned comforting. Everyone does at times.
If you pay attention to knee jerk reactions you can use the spin to figure out what you really need. Then, take healthy action on your own behalf. If you need help, tell a trusted friend, find a counselor, or share what's happening with a religious or spiritual leader if you have one. You don't have to go it alone. This spin is temporary, and, if we can focus on what we are trying to tell ourselves in our deepest heart, we invite healing. That's how it works for me, anyway.
No spin lasts forever.
Then we breathe. We coast for a while; not really spinning, but still not feeling the ground. We are simply riding the wave, and this is okay, too. It's a good thing, actually. Some people call it limbo. I see it as cocoon time. Do you think the caterpillar knows about those wings she's sprouting? Probably not, but they sprout anyway, right?
For now, just rest.
And then, my friends, we land. Our feet find the ground and we find our stride on a new, and often unexpected, path. That new path may be a job, school, a hobby, a creative endeavor, or lifestyle change. That is our landing place. Maybe we were aiming for it, or maybe it came as a complete surprise, but either way it brings healing, energizes us, and provides an avenue for meaningful action.
A landing place can restore our sense of direction and purpose. If you think about it, you may notice that you have had several throughout your life.
Right now, mine is art.
What's yours?
This piece first appeared in my October newletter.
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