Sometimes the tide is out. Take today for instance. I now have this lovely little office space, have just come back from my professional conference full of new ideas and connections and networking buddies in the industry, new clothes, new glasses frames on the way and new contact lenses too (shopping is always de rigeur at the AICI Conference, and did you know that lens technology has caught up to high astigmatism prescriptions? Stay tuned for more blog on that!)
Hanging at the gala with my AICI Canada Chapter peeps!
Business is back to usual with the rounds of networking, client care, lovely sessions and yet…the tide is out. I can’t seem to make myself stay in the office, lovely as it is…I can’t seem to rev myself up for anything other than the thought of vacation (which starts at the end of next week) and my head is full of cottony dreams and thoughts that just don’t seem to coalesce.
I met today with a potential new team member and realized something really important (again). Sometimes the tide is just out. Sometimes I need time to rest. Sometimes it’s just better to head to the beach, where the wind is playing with my hair, even as I sit here writing. Sometimes things just need to percolate, settle, disperse and clear in order for the next thing to happen.
I don’t know about you, but when things change for me, they *really* change. It’s go big or go home all the way, financially, emotionally, professionally and otherwise. Then I typically enter a period of settling down, which always strikes me with a vague feeling of, “Well? Get on with it! You’ve made the changes, now, GO!” This leaves me feeling a bit guilty and makes me think I ought to be working harder. It’s at this time that I’m fortunate to have people around me (okay, mostly my husband, but others too) who remind me that this is my pattern: big change, followed by big push, followed by a need for big rest.
At the beach for a little writing and refreshing session…
Today, I’ve decided to give up the guilt, as you can see from my ‘new office’ picture here. Sometimes, the tide is just out.
Are you there too? How do you deal with change?
Hello from Laos Katherine 🙂
Thank-you for sharing such an inspiring post. I loved reading it and on so many levels resonate with what you’ve written which has prompted to respond (which I never do on blogs so you are my first!)
As they say in Thailand (where I just spent 7 weeks) I am in the “Same Same But Different” place as you. You on one hand have been overstimulated, excited and completely radiated by all the energy and movement from your conference and are ready for some slow moving, peaceful, reflecting days. I on the other hand am in a lethargic, complacent and chill out mode ready for a big tsunami of energy and stimulation to get me inspired with passion and zeal.
The thing I like most about what you wrote is your ability to stay true to you and to what your body physically and emotionally needs. You hit the beach because that’s what is the perfect compliment to pulses you received at your conference. Good for you!
I on the other hand seem to find it hard to let myself be where I am at and am constantly questioning and wondering how to get out of my state. It’s hard to just let myself be but doing anything otherwise, is really just going against all laws of nature and slowly I’m learning to ride the tide like you!
From my understanding, change only exists because we grasp on to it’s oposite which is permanence; thinking we’ll keep in a specific state forever. But that is impossible. Nothing created lasts forever. And thank-goodness we don’t stay so stangant otherwise, we’d be bored out of our minds. We need the contrast to help us evolve and to find moments to be creative and expansive, one moment to the next.
What I want to encourage myself to do so I go through change with ease, is to really honour where I am at all times and reinforce to my mind that no state I am in will ever last. That’s why I love your analogy to the tide…it’s perfect! Just like our breath, moving in and moving out, pulsing with the Universe, always changing, never the same, but always present. Always. Our bodies already know what they need. We just have to let go and listen.
The Universe is much more powerful than you or I so it’s going to pull both of us in a new direction without us doing anything. We just need to feel, be aware and let it.
So I say kick guilt to the curb, sit back and enjoy your beach time because that too won’t last…as the next wave of energy is going to lift you up out of your comfy beach seat to heights you can’t even dream of.
Surfs up sister!
Much love,
Nicole 🙂
A-MEN! Thanks Katherine! I think the tide is out at my house right now, too.
YEAH for you for honouring your natural rhythm! As you share your experience, you give others permission to get in touch with and honour their natural rhythm, just like you.
Thank you, this is what the we most need!
awesome post!
I miss you.
let’s connect after your vaca… xxoo