Stepping back to let go a little.

I am writing this on the train as I return home from a weekend away with girlfriends. Nine of us left our children and partners for two nights and took a train ride to another town. There, we shopped, exercised, ate, drank, slept and didn't sleep, laughed and talked about lighter and weightier things than we usually have time for.

There is a shared knowledge that we are mothers but the experience is different for each of us because we are at different stages of parenting. One of us has two teenagers and an elder daughter who just got engaged to be married. Another has three children under 5 years old. Some of us work part time, some not at all outside the home (inside the home the workload is more than ample!). There are those with only sons, those with only daughters and a few with a mixture.

Even the mix of cultures is varied. Some have partners from the same culture while others are bi-cultural families living within a third culture. For this group, these things bring us together rather than segregate us.

Additionally, it is very rare for any of us to leave our families behind and run away for a weekend. For some it was the first time ever. For others it has happened a few times but those times can be counted on one hand.

A weekend away to reconnect to Self – outside the role of partner/wife and mother is a trip to another time. I heard the words 'before kids' frequently. “that was in another life” was met with nods of recognition. We know that our Self has been in there somewhere - under the roles we play in our day-to-day lives. We have, at times, almost lost hope of ever seeing our Self again.

At first, we need practice to reconnect. We try on that old Self and see if we recognise it in the mirror. We realise how much we have changed … and how little we have changed. We acknowledge the rich stories around us and are liberated by the differences and the similarities, the whispers and shouts of 'me too'. We let our vulnerabilities show more and more as the weekend goes on and we get tired of holding up the curtain to avoid being seen in our discomfort with ourselves without the protection of our roles.

We get glimpses of the life we know we must return to at the end of the weekend. Most of us are ready to 'go home' as we call it. We are ready to once again resume our lives as we know them.

Yet we do so a little differently. A little  changed for the chance to have stepped outside the box a moment and see what it all looks like from the outside.

The re-entry is not always easy. It requires letting go … again. We had to let go to come here, we have to let go to return. None of the letting go happens without a change, however imperceptible to the naked eye. Things are different for having let go, for the perspective created by a different view. A glimpse of ourselves, as we were, as we are … when no longer wrapped exclusively in the role of Mother and partner.

When did you last visit your Self?

sarah xx

Who's got your back?

There have been moments in my life when I have felt sad and disappointed at what appeared to be a lack of honesty in the world around me.

I wished that people would simply come out and say what they mean. I wished they would tell me when I had hurt their feelings, or check with me for the true meaning of what I was saying rather than assuming they knew. I felt that I was learning the ropes, stumbling blindly through social situations, trying things out - often blundering as I went. It seemed that everyone else knew how to do the social relationships thing, whereas somehow I had missed out on that very important gene. 

I also recall thinking that if dishonesty and judgement of others was the way to make it all work, then I was much better off without it.

In recent years, I found a person who is willing to step closer to the fire, risk getting burned by my response - because she believes in honesty in friendship too.  

She gently holds up the mirror and says "this is how it looks from out here - is that what you are hoping to project?". 

Sometimes my answer to her question about what I am putting out there is "yes I can live with that" and sometimes its "ummm, wow, no that was not my intention at all". 

Having this person around has taught me to be more honest, more brave, less concerned with the impression I am making.  She helps me focus on the values I hold and match my behaviour to those values. As a result I feel more authentic. 

It's a huge and important role she plays in my life - one I am extremely thankful for.

There may be someone in your life, who for the best reasons, is there right behind you. This person is human rather than perfect. They have their own stuff they are working out too... but when it comes to you, they are on your team. They are there gently saying "are you sure this is what you want?". They know you don't have all the answers. They offer you that knowledge without judgement.

They invite you to self-reflect without shame.

They have your back. 

Who is that person in your life? And for whom do you play that role?

sarah xx

Focus on the task at hand.

The reality, with 7 million others walking the earth (not counting the animals who can), is that your relationships with other individuals are not all about you, your stuff, your needs, your thoughts, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your wants.

When it comes to relationship challenges, your task is to work on the 50% that is your stuff - and leave them to work on the 50% that is theirs. 

Oh WAIT! Perhaps you belong to the "its all my fault" school? Or maybe you are a member of the "its all THEIR fault" crew.

And while neither of these is true - more importantly ... neither of these viewpoints is helpful. It's waaaaaaay more effective to look at things from a "what is theirs, what is mine" perspective; its often the only way to work things out. 

Imagine if we all worked on our own stuff and left others to work on theirs? Imagine if we did this without judging ourselves (big ask huh?) and without judging the other imperfect humans around us? 

This doesn't have to be wishful thinking - its all possible by making an important choice ... to do just that! 

Self-reflect ... thoroughly, regularly, honestly. Do it gently, kindly, openly with yourself. Breathe slowly and deliberately.

In doing so, you won't have much time to busy yourself with others people's faults. Not only that, but by practicing being kind and gentle with yourself, you will learn to do so with others. 

We are all here learning at our own pace, in our own imperfect way - our children included.

It's not all about you. Focus on the task at hand.

sarahxx

Where does your value lie?

The person who sees themselves as the victim of any situation usually feels (among other things) a lot of anger and resentment - so much that it burns them up inside, stunts their growth, paralyses their living, disconnects them from life.  They don't have lofty goals; they are not sure where their value sits.

If you see yourself as a victim I wonder if there is another way to view your situation? A way that is more helpful and contributes more effectively to you feeling the way you want to feel about your whole life. 

Perhaps you currently feel like you are getting the dirty end of the deal, being left behind, stuck, imprisoned by the system/boss/finances/choices of others.  Perhaps you are a full-time Mother or Father with a partner who works, gets a lunch break, talks to adults all day, gets an income, has performance reviews, receives a vacation allowance each year, has set hours, status, and gets to leave the house each day at a specific time!

At present you have little to claim as your own - everything is shared with someone else in some way. When you have something that is all yours - like your work, your creativity, your writing, your consulting skills, your labour, your contribution, your own money - you may then see that as evidence of your value and your worth. 

By extension, I wonder if it's possible to see the contribution you make to the world right now as a Mother or Father of (a) beautiful child(ren) as enough - enough to claim your place in the world as valuable. 

I wonder when you will able to see your place in the world as worthwhile and valuable by simply sitting in a chair and being? 

Lofty goals? Why not!?

sarah xx

How are you creating the isolation you feel?

Some of you are in unimaginable emotional pain right now. Life is HARD.

If you are feeling alone it might be time to reflect on how, in your pain, you are pushing away the very support you need right now.

Growing up, evolving, learning, experiencing, connecting with others, disconnecting from others, losing jobs/homes/relationships/loved ones/futures/dreams/health/physicality/love - all these things are really, really tough experiences to live through and with.

There is no doubt, that when we are in the midst of our pain, we can feel that we are surrounded by people who don't understand or who say/do the wrong thing in attempting to 'help' us.

At the time, it feels like there is no-one more lonely anywhere on the planet!

We have to be careful at this point to ensure we are not believing this idea of our isolation so much that we are pushing away the people in our lives who love and care about us ... in the process disconnecting ourselves from our support network.

(Sure, they may be the ones saying things that sound empty, cliche, inappropriate or downright stupid - but that does not mean they don't care about us).

What we need most at times like this are our friends, our family, our partners, colleagues, group members - because in most cases, they are the key to our survival.

We can get support from these people in our lives by telling them what we want or do not want from them.

They are not mind readers - I can promise you that. They don't know exactly what we need so they are fumbling around the darkness trying to work it out (often annoying us in the process). Their intentions are good.

But only we know what we really need right now.

We don't have to do this alone. Alone is a choice too! Reach out for help - especially where it's being offered. Do it today.

Sarah xx