Life has a sense of humour, that is certainly true. As I began writing this series, my own personal crisis manifested. It was a bolt from the blue and in the nature of these things, it flattened everything in my emotional landscape.
As always, I believe it's not what happens that's important, it's the way you deal with it that contributes to the resolution. As the shockwaves rippled, I had a sense of deep recognition. This familiarity, gave me comfort and a sense of security, even though everything I held dear unravelled until my Life was a messy heap of multi-coloured wool.
I'd like to stay with that metaphor, because although I'm not a knitter, I have dear friends who love it dearly and I think in this context it works really well.
When you're looking at a messy heap of wool at your feet that was your life, you have some choices to make. The thing is, you can't start making choices without getting the wool into a ball. That's what I've been doing in the past few months, getting my wool untangled and balling it up again. As I've been rolling it up, I've been contemplating the type of garment I'd like to knit with it.
I have come to believe that Life is Meaningless. We are born, pay our taxes and then die. The Meaning in Life, comes from the Meaning we create.
The question I have going round and round in my head: what Meaning do I want to create in my Life? I am now 44. Statistically, speaking I am at the mid-point in my life-span, give or take a bus or tree or two. How do I want to use my time?
I had been laughing with a friend that now I'm in my 40s, I need to do another degree. My interest in Wellbeing is fundamental. I am still fascinated behind the science of thought, behaviour and healing. I want to know more.
After a period of consideration, I've signed up to do an introduction to counselling course in Person Centred counselling.
Now there is a philosophical contradiction between Neuro Linguistic Programming and talking therapies of any kind. NLP is interested in affecting change by addressing the How clients think, the Why doesn't come into it. It is merely a by-product of bad thinking in practice. The healing in NLP comes from better thinking and better decision-making. Talking therapies focus on the Why. By creating a safe place, the Why can be understood and in this understanding, there is healing.
I've personally experienced both and I believe there is great merit to be found from both approaches. I've had my Practitioner's training in NLP and now I want to learn more. I am not concerned about the contradiction. Contradiction and paradox are a fundamental part of Life, consider how it's possible to love and hate the same person, equally passionately. It's how the contradiction is held, that is the key.
I don't know the shape or size of the garment I'll be knitting. The pattern will come in time. All that matters is that I've picked up my needles and cast on.
