I was busy wiping down shelves in my study as the dust that has come in my windows this week has been ridiculous. The mercury has been consistently in the mid to high 30’s – between 90-100◦F for my more northern audience and we have had really strong winds at times. You know the heat that blows out of your hot oven when you open the door (ugh) – yep that kind of wind! As a consequence of leaving all my windows open, I am left with a dusty film all over my shelves and everything else.
I was using this ‘cleaning’ time to decide what I would share this week and thinking, ‘I am so glad things change and this intense heat won’t last forever’. Hmm change. I wondered, does anything actually last forever? I wiped down some framed photographs. I smiled at the people captured in time. The kids are no longer children and now young adults and the blond-haired blue-eyed 3yo, his chin resting on his beloved football is no longer a toddler. …. I paused and quickly and deliberately corrected the direction of my thinking berating myself briefly. I know better than to go down that path that I told myself.
It reminded me of a talk I heard recently describing how space shuttles are on a continuous exercise in course correction. Never at any point does mission control (or whatever they are called), say ‘okay wait, stop everything, abort, ABORT! this shuttle is off course! Bring it back to earth and let’s start all over again.’ They continue their course with a series of deliberate and calculated minor corrections until the shuttle gets to where it needs to be.
We all know that obstacles, challenges and change are part of the human experience, so why do we so strongly resist them? Perhaps we should think of our lives more often as space shuttles. Instead of calling it a disaster and yelling ‘Abort! let’s start again from the beginning’, or worse, running in the opposite direction, we could embrace them and make some minor (or major) calculated course corrections.
Helen Keller said ‘… Often we spend so much time looking at the closed door, we don’t see the one that has been opened for us…’ We spend so much time focusing on our problems instead of looking for the solutions. Every challenge, change or shift in circumstances presents new doorways into amazing opportunities.
Sure, not all changes and challenges are created equal, but isn’t it what we DO when we encounter these, that defines us? I refuse to let adversity define my life story!
Besides, I don’t know what course the Universe already has laid out for me. But I am sure it has something to do with inspiring, helping, and creating change. And I now know that it’s okay to have days where I have no idea how to work the controls in my space shuttle.
What about you?
I was reading a post and the writer referred to what she called ‘couch syndrome’. I looked at my old couch and considered her perspective. When we buy a couch, it is seen as a big-ticket item and we need it to be the right one. We spend time and effort carefully choosing our new piece of furniture to find the one that is perfect …. until over time it isn’t any more. Does this mean that we made the wrong choice in the first place? Or does the couch with its history just no longer fit into our current reality. Afterall, that was then, and this is now and now is a completely different point in time. Now also presents us with new opportunities, new choices, and maybe even a new couch 😊
In a recent conversation about relationships it was highlighted that we place unnecessary pressure on ourselves to find the ‘perfect one’ instead of being content with the one that is ‘perfect for now’.
As we grow and gain new knowledge, form new beliefs and continue to experience new things in life, we can’t help but change. Sometimes relationships, possessions and thoughts we once held, become out of date and no longer fit with who we have become. Desperately hanging on to these keep us in the past and can feel like driving a car with one foot firmly on the brake. It is of no value if we want to move forward in our lives in a positive way and empowered way.
Today I consider myself a minimalist and I have been on a journey of de-cluttering my life and my mind. I have had to get rid of some old thinking to make room for some fresh new ideas and possibilities. For many of us this also means thanking and saying goodbye to old habit(s) for their service. “I appreciate you have been there for me, but you are no longer required.”
When we have a clear vision, a plan and a focus for the person we want to become or the life we want to create, it is easier to replace unhelpful habits with new and more positive ones that will directly contribute to our goal.
So, as we continue hurtling towards the end of this year, know that the future holds great things, new challenges and amazing opportunities. The ‘now’ is where we plan the route.
Much Love
Dalya xx 💙