Life moves fast. Sometimes it moves faster than we are prepared for and soon we find ourselves standing in the middle of an indescribable place to others, that can only be understood by our own consciousness. While we crave to keep up, it may not be about keeping up at all. It may be about teaching us something about ourselves that we haven’t noticed in the past – or ever experienced.
In the last two to three years, my life has moved incredibly quick. Since my career as a flight attendant conditioned me to move quick, staying ahead of the game and always being prepared no matter what – life on the ground is the same. Rather personal or professional, you have to stay focused and keep moving but if you are like me, it is easy to lose yourself in the processes. At that point you have to stop, recenter, redirect the focus and begin again if it means something to you. Anyone who really knows me, knows that I am not one to give up on what I want so these things are deeply important to me.
For twenty plus years I raised my children alone and I was always trying to stay ahead of the game. If gold medals were given out for running the marathon of motherhood, I am pretty certain I (along with many other single parents who are doing the same thing) would be cashing them in for a five year timeout anywhere the weather is sunny, 75°, white sand between our toes and with a frosty, cold beverage to top it off. The reality is that we aren’t given any medals and there are no tropical destinations given for all that we have done (or do) but the greatest reward is that our children become amazing adults who are resilient, ambitious and they can move as quick as life comes at them with grace, dignity and an undying amount of kick ass!
As the years have come and gone, life has come at me pretty quickly, often with me not flinching because my mentality is to just do – whatever it is -just do it. I built my life around a schedule that gave me showtimes (when I had to be at the gate, ready to work a flight), departures and arrivals. There was no time to think. You just had to get with it and get on with it. I lived by it and I conditioned myself that no matter what – you better be prepared and if you didn’t have a plan right away, you’d make one as you went. It takes a special kind of mentality to be able to do that. One would think that it is exciting and to some extent it is, but it isn’t built for everyone. Others may not even understand the madness to it. I miss flying very much, and I have often said that if you have had a career as a flight attendant, you can do anything. It certainly changes you, molds you and it will forever be engrained within you.
My time on the ground has been very different though. In the process of steering myself in a different direction, my level of being hyper-aware has not changed. What has changed (and is changing) is my level of feeling like I have to keep up with the waves of life that come so quickly. We often learn from others on how to process those quick waves. Everyone will interpret things differently just as much as they will address them differently. Through effective communication that is heartfelt, intimate and done with pure intentions, the outcome to handling those quick waves of life can be easily rode out to calmer waters.
Do you know what happens when you are around calm waters? Our parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our rest and reset response is met with a lowered blood pressure, the brain is able to relax and your heart rate is lowered to a more relaxed state. So when we are facing those quick waves of life, look around you – what or who do you see? What is your calming water? Is it a person – someone who brings you back to the neutral place you seek? How about a place – somewhere you can go and feel yourself regain focus? Maybe it is both.
I am thankful for the areas of my life where I have calm waters. When life is moving quickly, I have become more aware of riding it out to the calm waters. It is where I find my comfort, where my heart rate is lowered, and I am more relaxed. Sometimes the ride out may feel like I am in a hurricane, but I know if I keep moving forward, that the calm waters are right there waiting for me with a life boat.
Can you see yourself riding out to calmer waters? Is there a life boat out there waiting for you? You may not can see things for the hurricane of life that you are in right now, but if you keep moving forward, there are calmer waters waiting to carry you to the shore on the other side. It may not be your gold medal cash out of sunny and 75, but it will be worth it once you reach the shore.
Peace, Love & Happiness
Christian
The Sun Will Set To Rise 