Everyone should have a photo of themselves jumping on a trampoline in a gauzy-nightgown-sundress. While wearing false eyelashes. Or do whatever your own version of that is.
I seem to have misplaced some of my spirit that I see in that photo. Oh, it’s around here somewhere, but I’ve gotten disconnected from it somewhat for the past three weeks. I saw some glimpses of it on my 14,965th day on this earth (my birthday on 7/19 — do the math), but I’ve got to be honest with you, I feel like some of it has melted in this heat or is floating around in this humidity.
I always want my posts to have elements of hope, service, perspective and light to them, so I didn’t think it was a good idea for the therapist-coach to write about feeling quite the opposite. I won’t even use self-helpy language and call this period of time a “challenge.” It just feels gross, kind of lost and I wish I could just leave it at that and say “yep, this is how it is when the other shoe drops in life,” but I can’t. Not these days. I know too much now about the power of my mind and how I can use it on purpose to climb a ladder out of this muck. I’ll get there…I’m getting there.
If we think life’s circumstances are akin to dancing in quicksand, then they are. That doesn’t mean that wistful platitudes or turning to food, shopping or mindless Facebook perusing are the remedies; I think it’s better to ask yourself what’s going on and then just feel it through — even if it sucks. It’s a feeling; it’s fluid.
An old therapist joke: A client comes in and says they’re suffering from anxiety. The therapist says, “Well, I’ve got really good news for you about this: no one has ever died from anxiety.” True that. Yes, over time, it can cause a great deal of stress to the body and physical issues can manifest, but as a feeling state, it will not strike you down (and for the record, I think anxiety is just a cover word for fear, dread, nervousness or reeling — there’s always something deeper in the layers of “anxiety”).
So I am just taking on my own prescribed intervention and feeling it through to the other side of whatever this is. This is just how I feel for right now and I can choose to discern what it is here teach me. I know how to get back to the trampoline girl; that’s who I really am.
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In the works…coming soon…happening right now…
The good news is that I’m always creating and that’s a guaranteed path to righting (writing – natch) myself. In July, my weight loss coaching group began meeting in Louisville and I love what’s happening among these ladies (and they do, too, they tell me). I’ll be starting another group again in September, but it will be available to any and all (not just my local people) because it will be a teleclass. Don’t be scared; it just means your classroom will be on a conference call line instead of inside a conference room. And yes, you can take the class in your jammies or while you’re you’re eating your peanut butter sandwich on your lunch break. My August newsletter will be posted to Facebook with more details or you can also go to https://www.laura-wagner.com/upcoming-events-classes/ and get information.
I’m also co-facilitating a four night retreat in October with my friend, yoga teacher, and life coach extraordinaire, Stacey Shanks. From October 24th – 27th, you can attend the Soul Asylum (yes, that 90s song is playing in my head, too) Retreat and Mountain Bike Tour at the Dahlonega Resort Spa in Dahlonega, Georgia (it’s about an hour north of Atlanta). Stacey and I paid a visit to check it out in July and it is fantactic; it was hard to leave, so I’m glad we get to return in a few months. Come with us: http://www.yogaandlife.com/how-i-can-help/happenings/soul-asylum/.
All the best as we roll into August. See you in my funny papers.
