It was a planned change. Nothing like changes that occur when a hurricane blows your home away or a toxic dump makes it impossible to live a healthy life where you once had a home.
So, why bother writing about it? Maybe it is just my way of connecting my own life dots. Maybe it is to say that just because it is not a dramatic and life altering change it still has its bitter sweet moments. It is a way of getting everyone who reads this to think about the little changes in life and to stop and reflect.
I must admit, I was surprised at the emotions that came flooding through me as I began to pack up the small blue and gold image of kokopelli that sat on the fire place mantel, the boda crystal candle holders in the dining area, the Taos drum that sounded a bit flat and really needed some professional attention.
I kept looking out of the window that made the mountains seem as if they were there just for my personal admiration. I watched one of those amazing New Mexico sunsets, wanting to breathe it in and savor it the way I used to breathe deeply into the curls of my daughter when she was a baby and had been freshly bathed.
I began second guessing myself, surprised that I was becoming so resistant to this change of venue. We were moving to be closer to our west coast work, ready to start a “Total Leadership Connections” program in the Bay area. So many requests and now is the time to expand our programs and consulting in this state of innovation and creativity.
And, of course, there are those amazing children and grandchildren who we will be able to see more regularly in our home rather than in a hotel. I mentioned my resistance to this present change to my daughter who helped me put things into perspective with one sentence. “You know mom, no level of gorgeous sunset will ever come close to the smiles from all of us, especially your grandchildren when we can be together more frequently.”
As we pulled the car from the long dirt road that led us away from our haven in the desert I thought about a picture I had packed just a few hours before. The thought stayed with me for the two days it took to drive the van to California.
The picture is of a doorway leading into the unknown; and the words underneath made me feel more ready to move on. I hope they can be of help to you when you are ready to close one chapter of your life and prepare for another. “A portal opens before us; will we step through into our future”.
I had become so engrossed with the past I had forgotten that it’s all about something we teach in our leadership program, it is important to clear the past to free the present. That is what I had been doing as I sorted through belongings and memories, ready and now willing to let the present help open the portal to the future.
Sylvia Lafair
Sylvia Lafair, PhD, is President of CEO – Creative Energy Options, Inc., a global consulting company focused on optimizing workplace relationships through her exclusive PatternAware™ Leadership Model. Dr. Lafair is the author of Don’t Bring It to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns That Limit Success published by Jossey-Bass. As an executive coach and leadership educator, she has more than 30 years of experience with all levels of management from leading corporate officers of global companies to executives of non-profits and owners of leading family-owned businesses. She is now offering GUTSY Women Weekends, giving women the opportunity to dialogue and clarify next steps.
Follow Me:
