Replanting

Beautiful begonias have brightened the planting beds in the park within our apartment complex all summer. This week they were yanked out and replaced with pansies. It seemed so wrong that I had to ask Alex, the head gardener, about it. He replied simply that the begonias were about to fade as it got colder while pansies do just fine over the winter and are then in place to bloom and flourish come spring.

The bottom line was the begonias’ time had passed and needed to go to make room for pansies whose time was coming. Yet I felt sad to see the proud begonias lying in the wheelbarrow and so disappointed with the small and sad little pansies that took their place. I’ve been slowly replacing some of the time I spend guiding and ski instructing with serving clients as a coach to have a way to share and enjoy something that's such a core part of me if and when I don’t want to or can no longer work as an outdoor guide and instructor. Letting go of these parts and pieces of myself and my life brings up a lot more resistance and emotion than what I felt as the begonias were dug up, but letting go of what no longer fits this season of my life is as natural and necessary for health and happiness as replanting the flower beds to accommodate a new season of the year.

Getting stuck in how things are and resisting letting go is a natural reaction to change. Moving through it requires checking in with what you know both in your head and your gut and heart. Focusing, which is a way of connecting to what is bodily sensed but unclear, helps you connect what you know in your body to the thoughts and emotions swirling in your head. If you'd like to experience focusing or explore what’s possible coaching together, please schedule time to connect.