Embracing Life’s Twists and Turns

A few weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of leading workshops at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA. I have been a featured guest speaker for Canyon Ranch resorts for many years; it is a glorious opportunity for me to spend time with amazing people who are seeking to grow and evolve, and deepen their self-awareness and self-care practices. 

My mother was supposed to join me so that we could spend some special, much-anticipated mother/daughter time together, but my father recently had a fall (he’s okay!) and we both agreed that she needed to stay home with him.

While disappointed, I know she is where she needs to be; with her husband of 60 years. Theirs is a magnificent love story that both inspires and humbles me. More on that at another time.

As for me, perhaps the universe meant for me to spend a lovely weekend alone, reflecting and processing my own life’s twists and turns.

Lately, I have been reminded that even when living a life we love (which I am!), the reality of life includes constant change and evolution. Our lives are always unfolding, each day presenting us with new opportunities, challenges, joys, and discomfort. 

Time seems to move so quickly, often causing us to feel as though we can’t keep up with its pace. We don’t take time to sit with, process or work through what all that we are managing and experiencing means so that we can intentionally choose how we want to move forward and adjust. 

It is easy to get distracted, and forget that what we all need is more quiet,

stillness,

and time to hear our own voice…and our truth.

And yet we don’t do it.

Instead, we push forward with great determination, often bypassing the many emotions that flow through us and keep us stuck, and in many instances, suffering. We suffer from exhaustion, anxiety, overwhelm, fear, stagnation, and an inability to access possibility and imagination; and as a result, get dysregulated and struggle to manage our energy and emotions. 

But, sometimes the stars align.

Despite missing my mother, I found myself alone at a beautiful, serene wellness resort; able to sit with my truth, and allow my head and heart to reflect on what it all means. 

My truth includes having all kinds of feelings and emotions as I watch as my parents age. My father’s fall was a stark reminder that this time in their lives is precious, and fragile. I am even more acutely aware that this is a new chapter in their life journey and I want to be fully present for it. And because I live in Colorado and they live in Connecticut, I want to make sure that I am holding as much flexibility and agility as I can in the way that I am designing my life so that I can honor how I want to show up for them. 

My truth also includes a continued commitment to aligning my life around what matters most. While being present for my parents is a huge priority for me, so is my relationship with my partner, being a well of love and support for my children, continuing to do the work I love in the world, nurturing my many amazing friendships, and seeking out joy and adventure. 

It is all a tall order, and one that is going to take both my attention and intention.

It is going to require that I shift my thinking about my life, my plans and the choices I make around what I commit to. 

It is going to require that get far more comfortable with letting go,

and managing my frustration when I am not able to do some of the things that I really want to do.

And it is definitely going to require that I do things in new ways over the next few years. 

We all know when our brains, bodies and souls are working hard to think about and process the complexity in our lives; yet we don’t often give ourselves the space and time we need to sort how we are feeling and thinking. 

My gift was a weekend of quiet and solitude,

having space to be with my own thoughts and emotions;

and to cry as a means of releasing tension from my body.

Because the stars all aligned.

But let’s not count on astrology. 

Instead, let’s commit to giving ourselves time and space; acknowledging when we need to process the realities of our lives with what’s possible. 

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