On March 14, 2015 I made my return to Milwaukee for what was to
be a six-month commitment to get my father off eight prescription medications
and improve his health in the hopes of slowing the progression of his dementia.
That goal was accomplished within the six months but there became this
realization that so much more had been unfolding during that time. While my
focus was my father, I also understood how important it was to reduce the
stress my mother was enduring from playing the role of caretaker so my
six-month commitment was extended to one year. During that second half I was
able to find my own balance of seeing some old clients and even meeting some
new ones and reconnecting with friends. By fall of 2016 everything was moving
along smoothly and I was making plans to leave Milwaukee when I received a
phone call that my brother, who has MS and is in a wheelchair, had fallen
victim to an individual that was manipulating him financially. I made the
decision not to leave in order to deal with this unfortunate situation and it
took me over one year to neutralize it.
Fast forward to 2018, I am still in Milwaukee and feeling all
the fires have been extinguished. As I reflect on all the moments I have had
with clients, pets, friends and family the last three years I feel an overwhelming
sense of compassion and love because I know how incredibly blessed I am to have
had this time to connect. I have spent the last 6 months pondering what was
next for me. When you have an adventurous soul, there is always a ‘where to
next’ and when you feel called to continually expand and forever share who you
are becoming there is always a ‘what's next’.
In some ways much of my life was on hold these last three years.
While I still managed to create a balance with it all, there was a piece of me
that was put on the shelf while I tended to more pressing matters. The
difficulty is in the dance between taking care of others while taking care of ourselves.
We should not lose ourselves for the sake of others. Mother Teresa said it best
“Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What
we need is to love without getting tired.” Being on hold has given me pause (a
cessation of activity because of doubt or uncertainty). When this happens, I
focus on grounding and ask to be guided to what I am called to do at this time
and then I observe and listen.
There are always signs pointing us in the direction we should
go. Sometimes the signs are so small that without a magnifying glass we may
miss them. Sometimes the signs are so big we can barely get out of the way as
to not get whacked in the head by them. Sometimes the signs seem to point in
more than one direction and we become confused. Reading the signs is something
I have become quite efficient at. It happens with practice and then you begin
to trust the process as your life ebbs and flows. Flow enhances movement and we
become more creative. My own experience of being in the flow as it relates to
change always seems to equate to white water rafting. I don’t seem to float
gently down the stream of change, instead I ride the white caps down the
express lane. And oddly enough when that happens it is exactly how I know I am
doing what I am called to do. It just comes together quick and easy, even
though on the surface it can appear chaotic.
By this exact process I have fallen into a river of fast moving
water that will carry me to my next great destination. A challenge bigger than
any I have met so far. An opportunity to push me beyond my own boundaries and
face any fears or self-limiting beliefs that may be lurking in my subconscious.
On July 1st I received a phone call with a job offer to work as a
transformation coach for a woman seeking to lose weight and learn how to become
her most authentic self. She wants to take control of her health and learn how
to live a healthy fulfilling life. This project is being filmed for a documentary
and because of the scope of it, she will live with me for one year in Boulder,
Colorado starting September 1, 2018. This is truly an amazing opportunity and it
required me to quickly pull together a group of professionals that will work as
my team during this year long project. All of the pieces fell into place in last
three weeks. Yes, that is some class V white water rafting.
My parting from one location is always bittersweet, but no
matter where I am, it is never really too far. I carry everyone with me because
my connections cannot be broken by distance. I am a phone call, an email, a
text or a page post away, never really gone.
With Love and Gratitude,
Marla
