Not in the old place; not in the new place
This morning I took a stroll along the waterfront near my home. I bought a coffee and sat in the sun to enjoy it – the picture is of the view from my bench. It was clear, quiet and incredibly peaceful.
Today is a working day. A “normal” (pre pandemic) workday might have involved launching myself out of bed in the dark, hustling my reluctant daughter out and getting us both ready and off to where we need to be. In my case, that was often on a busy commuter train, making my way through the dawn to the city for a day of meetings.
I’m acutely aware of how lucky I am: to be able to afford a coffee, to be able to work from home, to live in a country that seems to have brought the pandemic under control.
Still, as things seem to be returning to “normal”, I have mixed feelings.
I find myself grasping at the comfort of the return of some familiar old ways, and dreading others. There is a balance between getting in the driver’s seat to create the future I want, and the wisdom of taking time to allow it to emerge in its own way.
I am hearing similar themes from friends and clients.
For many, while the lockdown has been extremely challenging, it has also brought positives which they are reluctant to let go.
We are not in the old place and we are not in the new place. We can’t force the new to crystallise before it is ready, and we can’t stay still, looking back. We need to find a way to stay open to what is coming while remaining deeply connected to the things that matter most in our lives.
I’d love to hear from you. Have you been surprised by positives during lockdown? How are you feeling as things begin to stir back into life? What would you like to keep? What would you like to let go of?
And if you’d like to work together on this in a more structured way, let me know.
Take care of yourself and others,
Madeleine Shaw
I work with clients from executive leadership teams to the front line, helping them to make clearer decisions about what they want, and adapt faster and more easily to change and transition. I use deep purpose as a key to unlock powerful thriving in work and life.
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