Change is external, transition is internal. ~William Bridges

Designing Your Life under COVID

If you are like most of us under COVID19, you may have been waiting for life to return to normal: going back to the office, visiting clients across the world, taking kids to school in the morning, shopping without masks as often as you choose to, having friends over for a meal in the dining room, going to an exercise class, attending a sports event or a conference in person, hugging friends and many more activities currently out of reach or with limitations. But, you now have been waiting for months, and for those of us who live in the United States, it looks like we will have a few more months of waiting.

In his book titled Managing Transitions- Making the Most of Change, William Bridges, PhD writes: “It isn’t the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions. Change is not the same as transition. Change is situational: the new site, the new boss, the new team roles, the new policy. Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation. Change is external, transition is internal.”

So could it be that we are looking at it all wrong? That we are not in a waiting room, a holding pattern? But, that instead we are in a transition?
According to Bridges, there are three phases to a transition: the Ending/Losing/Letting Go phase, the Neutral Zone phase and the New Beginning phase.

The first phase is about letting go of the old ways and old identity. It’s an ending with loss and grief as the dominant emotions. In my April newsletter (Epidemics and Beautiful Harvests- Another Form of Pilgrimage?) I wrote about the second phase, the Neutral Zone, or liminal phase, the betwixt and between time, and how unsettling, anxiety producing this phase can be and how it invites us into developing a practice of Not Knowing. Bridges explains that it is in this phase that “critical psychological realignments and re-patternings take place”. Support is often required in this difficult Neutral Zone. In the New Beginning phase, people develop a new sense of purpose and discover new energy.

So, if you feel somewhat stuck in the Neutral Zone, or actually no matter which phase of transition you find yourself in, please know that my coaching programs are available and relevant, and that while, for the moment, I only coach via Zoom, I can still be of help. Reach out for a free consultation so we can discuss the specifics of your situation and assess how I can assist you in meeting your goals. Because let’s face it: the prospect of getting back to a semblance of what once was, will only be possible with a vaccine and that is still, in the best of cases, six to nine months away so why not taking advantage of this liminal time for some personal growth and development?

Warmly,

Anne-Marie

Seasonal (Wise Women) Walks: an Update and a Survey

I had hoped to be announcing this month the resumption of my Seasonal (Wise Women) Walks for the rest of the year. Instead, with the corona virus cases still rising at an alarming rate in my area, I am cancelling the originally scheduled in-person walks for the remaining of 2020. Instead, I would like to offer them virtually through Zoom, provided there is enough interest. This is how it would work: we would first meet through Zoom for orientation and meditation. You would then walk on your own, on your own trails, garden or park, following the sanitary guidelines of your locality. At the end of the walk, you would rejoin our Zoom call for a sharing circle. This circle could be a closing circle or we could go for a second round of silent walk and then close. With this virtual/online format, the walks are now open to potentially many more participants around the world as we are no longer limited to a geography with its particular rules and constraints. My hope is that you will be interested in joining but, to orient my work, I would be grateful if you could fill out this survey. It will help me understand the level of interest for this virtual contemplative experience and how to best organize it to serve your needs. I thank you in advance for your time. Warmly, Anne-Marie

Calling All Gardeners
(and All Who Listen To Concerned Apple Trees)

I have been taking a class on Coaching for Climate Change from Climate Change Coaches in the United Kingdom and my intention is to offer coaching in that space -more about my offering in my next newsletter-, but in the mean time, I would like to invite all of you who are passionate gardeners and nature lovers to fill out this survey from Climate Gardens, a growing community of engaged and global individuals exploring how to garden in a changing climate, so you can share the changes you are noticing while growing zucchinis, tending to your roses or listening to your concerned apple tree.

Poem: An Apple Tree Was Concerned by Hafez

An apple tree was concerned 

about a late frost and losing its gifts 

that would help feed a poor family close by. 

Can't the clouds be generous with what falls from them? 

Can't the sun ration itself with precision? 

They can speak, trees, 

they can say the sweetest things

but it takes special ears to hear them,

ears that have listened to people

with great care.