It’s been a big September in our house; we are officially an empty nest! Our youngest has just started university while our eldest is spending their 3rd year studying even further away in Canada.
It’s brilliant, all is well, everyone is settled - and yet… I’m feeling the need for some personal TLC and recovery.
So, I’ve been treating myself to more time in energy restoration mode.
Last week I spent a delightful couple of hours in a Garden to Vase flower arranging workshop with the brilliant Annie Jenkins.
We’d arranged it as a birthday treat for my mum, and 5 of us followed Annie around her garden - finding out all about the different plant varieties, how to cut them, and what to do with them.
We then sat, played, chatted and created in the sunshine. It was a complete treat, a wonderful shared experience, and a fun creative process.
Sometimes, when we’re not feeling quite right but nothing is obviously wrong, it can be hard to pinpoint why we feel the way we feel. Something is niggling, but we can’t figure out what it is.
It can mean we go down all kinds of rabbit holes searching for an answer or trying to find something - or someone - to blame.
And we often don’t find it!
I absolutely love this book.
It’s one of my regular re-reads for many reasons, but one of the key ones is that the ideas in it have such wide applicability.
It’s a book about creating purposeful gatherings that also works for creating clarity and focus in our lives - so we can be clear on what matters most, and then organise our time and energy around it.
I have many of the key elements captured on Post-its, but my favourites are these: “Commit to a bold, sharp purpose” and “Close the door to create the room”.
And for that, you need to manage your “Bob’s”.
There are some books I re-read over and over.
The stories are so rich, and each time I come back to them I experience them differently.
They are the same words through fresh eyes. I’m in a different place in my life, and so I see them from a different perspective.
It’s the same with my own story, which changes shape depending on where I am in relation to it.
I’m endlessly fascinated by what brings out the best in us.
How do we like to work? How do we set our lives up so we can win at being us? What gives us good energy - inside and out?
We’re all uniquely wired, so it makes sense to take some time to figure it out. It gives us an incredible foundation, and pays back brilliantly when put into practice.
This was me in Brighton last week.
I had 2 wonderful nights by the sea, coaching as usual from a different place. Plus leisurely breakfasts, walks along the seafront, yoga, reading, baths and quiet evenings.
Quality time in my own space, with the freedom to follow my energy and empty out - and the added bonus of being a little cooler than London temperatures.
A complete gift.
