"LIFE IN A WORD"

The Word is: Curiosity

Definition: Merriam-Webster Dictionary: "...the desire to know"

I can conjure up no better example of curiosity than a visual of a child. Isn't that when our sense of curiosity begins? We come into this world with our eyes wide open and take in all kinds of visual stimuli and physical sensations; touch, smell, taste, and sounds. The world is new and inviting. It is a time of awe.

My Story on Curiosity

Close your eyes and picture a toddler sitting on a beach playing with the sand for the first time. He may hold it in his hands and watch as it slips through his fingers. The child has no concept of what he has just discovered, but he knows it feels good in his hands. He may take it a step further and place some of the sand in his mouth, perhaps thinking it might also feel good there. When it doesn't, he will hopefully spit it out. Curiosity and exploration are what allow us to learn and grow.

One could argue that history holds the answers to many of our curiosities. Questions are asked, answered, studied, and viewed from many sides. They are documented for us to learn from.

It’s the same with Life Coaching. Curiosity is one of the most vital tools in my toolbox. My role is to ask questions so I can learn about you. Your answers allow me to understand what you want to change about your life. As I listen to your answers. I take notes. I am documenting your history as I learn about your beliefs, behaviors, and habits.

There is no judgment in my role as your coach. Judgment is the opposite of curiosity; judgment shuts things down, whereas curiosity opens the door. As with history, when we ask questions of ourselves or others, study the answers, and view them from many sides, we will learn and grow too. Like the child curious about the world around him, exploration is also a time of awe for each one of us.

If you're having trouble achieving your goals, it might be time to talk to a Life Coach. I hope you will reach out to me. Thank you for reading my blog and checking back next week for my “Life In A Word” posting.

"LIFE IN A WORD"

The word is ANTIDOTE

Definition: Merriam-Webster Dictionary: “something that relieves, prevents, or counteracts”

Posted 5/11/22

When you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, do you stumble through the day, all grumpy and gray or do you look for the sun? Do you look for an antidote?

My Story on Antidote

What’s new? These days it seems like many unsettling things are what’s new. Bad news catches up to us even when we try to shelter ourselves from it. There's social media platforms, news alerts on our phones, television and radio broadcasts, or just general conversations with family, friends, or colleagues. You can't escape it. Or, can you?

Today, I listened to the morning news far longer than usual. Fifteen minutes has been my limit since the first fifteen minutes usually capture the headlines. Today I hung in for 25 minutes, resulting in an overload of negative national and global news. I could feel the tension rise in my body. Usually, my morning yoga class calms me. This morning I knew it would take much more.

So, if you believe that the universe is listening and sometimes answers your call, please read on. Because that is the only explanation I could come up with this morning. My phone had alerted me to view one personalized photo recap video after another. Videos titled “Best Friends”, “Portraits”, “Holidays”, and “Favorites” kept popping up. Usually, I receive one video recap on my phone every week or so, but six or seven in a row on the same day? That has never happened until today.

The antidote to the bad news of the morning had arrived. Warm and meaningful memories were brought to life with the swipe of a phone screen and the touch of the play button. There were no wars in the background, no crashing market reports, no protests, and no crying children. Instead, there were smiles, milestone days and nights, weddings, births, anniversaries, local trips, international trips, sunsets, and more.

The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” came to me in the form of videos on my cell phone screen this morning. They lifted my spirits in every way possible. Bad News? What bad news? I received the gift of the antidote. It was something that counteracted the bad news I had heard an hour earlier and took me to a happier time and place. Did it take away the bad things happening in the world? No, but it gave me the ability to put things in perspective. I had received the gift of remembering all the meaningful people and places in my life. That is what allowed me to move on and face the day ahead.

If you or someone you know has lost sight of all the good in your life, it might be time to talk to a Life Coach. I hope you will reach out to me. Thank you for reading my blog and checking back next week for my “Life In A Word” blog posting.

"LIFE IN A WORD"

The word is: LOVE

Definition: Merriam-Webster Dictionary: Love: “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties"

To put you in the proper frame of mind for this week's “Life In A Word” blog, I encourage you to click the YouTube link below. It’s the opening scene of the movie “Love Actually”. I can pretty much guarantee it will make you smile. It might even bring a tear or two to your eyes. It gets me every time, always has, always will.

Love Actually Opening Scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUoxXpqof8A

My Story on Love

In honor of Mother's Day, I want to focus on the many faces of maternal love.

Eternal Love:

My grandmother was the epitome of love and energy. She had sixteen grandchildren and an abundance of love for every one of us. When she was in her late seventies, she flew up from Florida to Boston, just to visit me. I remember spotting her coming out of the passenger gangway and into the terminal. There she was walking towards me with this big smile on her face and two satchels, one hanging from each of her shoulders. As she came closer the satchels fell to the floor and we gave each other one of those hugs you feel with every inch of your being. Knowing that she had come all this way just to spend time with me has never been lost on me. I miss her every day and I carry her love with me always.

“Love at First Sight” Love

If you are a parent, picture the moment you held your newborn in your arms for the very first time. Leaving the "miracle of birth" emotions aside, remember how your body felt when you held this child up to your face, your child. Relive the moment when your skin touched his or her with that first embrace. That feeling is love - unabashed, feel the corners of your mouth ache with joy as you can't get the smile off your face, kind of love.

Love is Love is Love:

Love is an intangible emotion. You can't make it up, you can’t force it and more importantly, you can’t deny it. The feeling of being so drawn in by the mere presence of another human being, a grandparent, a parent, a child, a friend, a distant relative, or sometimes even a stranger, is quite possibly the greatest emotion we can hold.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday. It is a time to remember a mom who may have passed, with the fondest of memories. A day to celebrate the mom you still have and to be so very grateful for all she means to you. It is a day to embrace the daughter you have watched become a mother. It is also a day to remember the women in your life whose motherly love guided you through the many phases of your life. Celebrate the uniqueness of all these women and don't forget to let them know just how much you love them.

I want to end this blog by inviting you to watch the closing scene of “Love Actually” to see all the ages represented, the genders, the colors, the nationalities, and the sheer joy as they aptly display the many faces of love.

The final scene in “Love Actually”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEQPXDGRaEk