The photo is outside my office window. In the winter it looks like dead leaves . Suddenly, this red closed bud, appears in a vine, spreading. Soon it will open to white fragrant jasmine. Spring is near. A new beginning, again.
So how can you open to something new for yourself?
1. Step SMALL, no leaps. Give yourself permission to change your mind.
2. Remind yourself the role you played as a parent, shifts. Get a reality check on your EXPECTATIONS.
3. What did you enjoy doing before children? Did you like to be OUTSIDE or in? QUIET or moving?
4. How can you make PEACE with the situation you are in today? What do you need today?
5. What kind of decision maker are you? Do you ponder, leap, collaborate the idea, spin like a hamster on a wheel?
6. Write how you would describe yourself to someone who was interviewing you. Read it out loud to just yourself. Any thoughts come up for you?
7. When you are hopeful and nothing seems to be shifting, you might need to do nothing, ask a friend who believes in you to chat with you, or plan one nurturing thing for yourself. What is it that nurtures you? If you can't think of anything, rearrange a part of your home. Move things around.
No one wants to go through changes alone. Get support. An empty nest mother and I chatted on the telephone. Her small new step was going to be to order coffee at her local café and sit there. Second, she put her name on an email list for a cooking group. She is seeking a new community. No earth shaking inventive idea, and yet, brave for her.
Take care,
Natalie
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