JC's Corner

There comes a day, somewhere in the middle of every woman’s life, when Mother Nature herself stands behind us and wraps her arms around our shoulders, whispering…

“It’s time.”

Her voice is clear… “You have taken enough now. It’s time to stop growing up, stop growing older, and start growing wiser – and wilder.”
(Yes, I really did say wilder!).

“There are adventures still waiting on you and this time, you will enjoy them with the vision of wisdom and the companionship of hindsight, and you will really let go.

It’s time to stop the madness of comparison and the ridicule of schedule and conformity and start experiencing the joys that a life, free of containment and guilt, can bring.”

Mother Nature “She will shake your shoulders gently and remind you that you’ve done your bit. You’ve given too much, cared too much,
you’ve suffered too much.

You’ve bought the book as it were, and worn the t-shirt.”

“It’s time” she will say.

“Let it go, really let it go and feel the FREEDOM of the fresh, clean spaces within you. Fill them with discovery, love and laughter. Fill yourself so full you will no longer fear what is ahead and instead you will greet each day with the excitement of a child.”

“It’s time” she will say… “to write the ending, or the new beginning,
of your own story.”

 

I wish I could say these words were my own creation, but I can’t. They are by Donna Ashworth in her book, To The Women: Words to live By.  These are from her poem “It’s Time.”  You can find other works by Donna on Amazon and I highly recommend them.

What I will say is I could have written this piece because it speaks to me/for me, in a way that resonates with my soul…It is time…

I’ve spent my life being the responsible, predictable one. I’ve lived more in one lifetime than I would have expected to live in a thousand lifetimes. Would I do some things differently if I had my life to live over again – you bet!

But unlike some people, I would not choose to live it over again.

Everything I have experienced… personally and professionally; the joys, the challenges, every single person whose path has crossed mine, every sunrise and every sunset … have all made me who I am today…I love it and I am grateful.

I find myself at a crossroads. Years ago, when I received my coaching certification from Hudson Institute, they asked me to create a poster which I then had to share with the group.

Although I have faced lots of challenges in my life, this felt like my WORST nightmare. Sitting there facing a stack of magazines, art supplies, and poster board with an assigned task that I had NO idea where to start. Maybe I could sneak out the back door… or feign illness…

Well, calmer heads prevailed. The quieter I became the more thoughts came in to my head. The first picture I placed on the board was a cup with liquid being poured out, the second was a picture of a chubby, little smiling baby sitting with her knees tucked under her… I still have that tattered poster board in my office which I still look at often.

These many years later, I am finally willing to take the leap to make those first two images come true….

I MUST empty my cup to make way for the many other wonderful experiences that are out there waiting for me (time moves more quickly these days, you know). Once emptied (although maybe not completely, 😊) I will meet those awaiting experiences with the wonder and joy of a child.

I have been one of the lucky ones… I have loved what I have done and the people I was fortunate to do it with which makes this choice even harder.

It’s time….

It’s time to prevent the only regret that I would have, should I pass on to the next life today… the regret of not publishing the one, two, maybe three books that are partially written and never far from my mind, heart and soul.

Am I hanging up my coaching/consulting hat you might be asking? That remains to be seen…

However, I am hanging up the shoulda, coulda, woulda sisters!

You might label this next step for me as a sabbatical, a vacation (HA – NOT), or even a mid-life crisis.

The next blog you see from me will be announcing that my book(s) has/have been published and sharing a “sneak peek” for my loyal friends and followers!

I’m sure I will have lots to share and as usual my hopes are that there will be “nuggets” that might help you as you travel on your own journey.

Until then, I ask that you keep me in your thoughts, send lots of positive, productive energy… and that YOU choose to live, love and do that which makes your heart sing as if there were no tomorrow!

Sending big hugs and well wishes! – Joan

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