Warm weather always spurs a deep feeling of renewal. The kick-start, the launch to get going, take advantage of the newness in the air, seize the season ahead, and look to the future. To take on different, new, more.
All is green, lush, and bright again, after a winter of darkness. I’m looking into this newness with different clarity, and it’s because, this time, I stand on a recently closed chapter. Earlier this year my husband and I formally let go of our home in France, the contemplative, beautiful, restorative space we held for 21 years.
I’m not sure I can put words to how we came to the decision, but we did seemingly in unison! Sometimes you have to move a little bit out of that familiar comfort zone before you’re fully ready. If you hold on too long, things become murky and mucky, and you end up in a push-pull scenario, rather than driving the bus and charting your course.
We came to this place because we were ready to step back and see what new things would come at us. We’ve created some space in our lives, to see ourselves differently and to think about what it is we can experience anew, or freshly invest into our environments. While having felt a bit untethered, it’s all starting to come together. I’m not feeling rushed and find myself talking and listening in a different way - strengthening relationships and partnerships that I may not have had the bandwidth for in the past.
As a result, I recently reconnected with a group of friends and peers, and we found ourselves speaking energetically and seriously about new projects in the women’s leadership arena. If I had my head down, could I even recognize those needs and the role I might be able to play? And, only because a chapter has been closed, I can breathe and have space to see it.
We shift as we mature in our careers, as we do in life. Is it all about confidence? And intuition, too, I think.
In those final moments and goodbyes in France, I wanted to immerse, to soak up the stone house, the wine cellar, the vines growing, the springtime flowers, and grass. I will always have that; memory will take me back. The challenge when you leave something behind and in new hands is whether your legacy and work is going to be honored. We have left things in the hands of people who will love le Petit Rêve the way we did. It brings me a great sense of stability and comfort.
When a chapter closes, it’s a matter of how we approach the next page. In work or life, to let discomfort and a little uncertainty provide a little inspiration. I have no regrets. It’s a little bit of love, luck, and hard work that creates the space for reinvention.
Let’s not yearn for the way things were, but instead surround ourselves with people who want to change it up a bit. Take chances. Gather up the courage to seek out different opportunities and experiences.
Taking the leap into the unknown – or the new, or different – is as much about embracing a change in situation as it is in yourself. And once you’ve made a move, you are forever changed. And that fresh outlook is truly a testament to where you’ve come from and all who you are.
Find that mirror that will help you see the future.
