I offer you here various resources, metaphors from life, for you to create from them what you need and want…
In Costa Rica, I watched, mesmerised, a hummingbird collecting nectar from a flower. The tiny, agile hummingbird, with a heart rate that exceeds 1200 beats per minute, wings that flap up to 5400 times per minute and rotate 360 degrees, hovers in mid air, flies back and forth, from left to right and up and down, as well as sideways and even up-side down.
The laws of physics stipulate that it ought to be impossible for the hummingbird to fly.
Evidently, nobody has mentioned this to the hummingbird…
And even if someone has, she has decided that she is free to believe what she wishes to believe, make her own choices, act upon what matters to her and defy limiting beliefs.
Acknowledgement
I was reminded of this mesmerising experience and these facts thanks to the “The Prosperous Coach” by Steve Chandler and Rich Litvin.
Whilst visiting the Galapagos Islands I came THIS CLOSE to sea lions, walruses, iguanas and a shark and they were so very unperturbed by our closeness and presence.
They were not programmed to fear…
Whilst climbing the Inca Trail in Peru, in the Andes Mountains, and stopping for the night at 3700 meters up, we ate what we forever fondly refer back to as “swamp soup”. I had been asked to collect, from the slimy, green swamp near our tents, water, teaming with microscopic organisms and not so microscopic organisms, to be used to make soup for our dinner. The soup was served. We wondered, we sampled, we rejoiced in the deliciousness of our warm sustenance on this freezing night in the wilderness. It was a time to accept and to count our blessings.
Following the ending of the most horrendous project with the most unrealsitic deadline, I took up an opportunity on a dream project with a dream team and a dream client…but…my first day on the job was followed by a week off sick! The last project had taken its toll. I was just starting with a new team; a team who didn’t yet know of my professionalism or commitment, and there I was off sick – an incredibly rare occurrence for me – on day 2! It felt all rather awkward.. until I received a bunch of flowers from the team lead and the most empathic and kindest of notes wishing me well and a speedy recovery.
When I was 5, living in Paris, my mother’s cousin had the most majestic weeping willow tree in her wild garden. I used to swing from her skinny branches, feeling free and deeply, innocently laughing with joy. The willow, wiry as its branches were, with agility, flexibility and strength, swung me round and round holding me strong allowing me to play, laugh, love whilst steadfastly holding us both safe with her deep, deep roots.
As darkness descended, staring into a lava spitting abyss, sitting on the edge of Mount Yasur volcano in Vanuatu, I watched this bubbling glow and felt its strength, its beauty, its destructive power, its unpredictability, its warmth, its energy. It drew you in and yet I was grateful that when the time came, I could choose to move on.
They have travelled the world, climbed mountains, walked through deserts, fields and canyons, pounded rocks, got soaked in rivers and scorched on volcanoes, jumped off gorges and clambered down cliffs… for 21 years now, my trusted companions.
I cherish them throughout this life gratefully filled with adventures. They are showing the signs of a life well lived, whilst we continue on our journey together.
Sipidan Island, off the coast of Borneo – a time when we were still allowed to stay overnight on the island.
Thousands of hatchling baby turtles…coming up the beach, mistaking the lights of the cabins for what their instincts tell them to follow to make it to the ocean, the moonlight shimmering on the surface.
Their instincts were right, the obstacles were misleading…
True to their eco-hearts and efficiency, German travelers handed us a vessel and we proceeded, together, to pick up the turtles and take them to the ocean edge, where we set them free, in the right direction, to follow the light on their life’s journey. A thrilling feeling!
Moving, 6 times in 9 months across 3 continents, with two school aged children and then some 6 times more over the course of another 4 years, is some feat, if I may say so myself. Life experiences and our conscious choices made it such.
We rejoice in the adventures and tales to tell; as a family we survived an awesome tropical flea infestation, a brain hemorrhage, a deadly bacterial infection, a life changing tropical spider bite, too many school moves, tiger mosquitoes, a flat tire in the middle of the desert, concussions, the worry of rabies…
We drove it, we lived it, we learnt, we packed and unpacked, we said sad goodbyes and promisingly anticipatory hellos, we developed friendships across the globe, we had amazing adventures and eye-opening encounters. From it we grew, we explored, we count ourselves very fortunate and we are richer for the living choices we made and so very grateful for our experiences. Resilience, flexibility, adaptability, confidence, open mindedness, options and choices, decisions, actions, being part of something bigger than ourselves,… a rich life being well lived – whichever way you experience it…
Quite possibly one of my favourite thrill-filled places on this Earth, the Mapu’a ‘a Vaea Blowholes in Tonga on a very windy day, at sunset. I felt so very alive.
In my being, I go back there…
The pounding, powerful swell of the ocean shooting up through the vents in the rocks. Its strength spraying me over and over with fresh, life-giving, powerful surf. Clouds, flying past in the strong howling wind, playing hide and seek with the sun-downing ball of fire in the sky and the most beautiful hues of purples and pinks.
I jump up and let out a scream of freedom, feeling so alive, elated, open, light, fresh and dynamic.
Impactful life events – moves, work, family, friends, health, science, economics, politics, geography… times come and times pass…No matter what happens in life, to face the obstacles and challenges, you want a solution focused mind, a sense of determination and staying power, flexibility, creativity, much love and support, a sense of humour, much gratitude for everything that is good and everything that is going well and someone there for you – ask for help when you need it, a sign of strength. And perhaps those life events shape you so much that that they just might end up being what drive you.