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I felt almost delirious a moment ago as I trotted over the beautiful red bridge here in Le Poujol sur Orb. I was coming to sit here on my river beach to talk with you about life. With the gift of this hot November day and the river shining and flowing so cleanly, I can think of nothing I'd rather be doing at this moment. It's Autumn, always a lovely season but seeming somehow more beautiful here in France than anywhere I've been.
A GREAT GATHERING
Last week I gathered a basketful of red leaves, ivy, and twigs of acorn, rose hip, haw and sloe berry. Each time I passed by this arrangement in its huge brass vase I felt like someone in love. Seasons, in their different ways, do seem to stir us in a deep primordial way: all our senses are stimulated, our hearts swell, we feel rushes of inspiration and if we're Keats-like maybe we write poems. Do you? Autumn seems to be particularly inspiring. It brings out an excited, happy, acquisitive, almost primitive 'gathering' spirit in us, and sends people in France rushing out with baskets and bags to hunt for mushrooms and sweet chestnuts. There's a wonderful look of triumph on the faces of the mushroom-foragers such as the guy we met on a walk last weekend who had good reason to be triumphant with his two baskets brimming with chanterelle, cepe and trompette-des- morts - not poisonous he assured us. He told us the trompettes are good in pâté, and my holiday-time Norwegian neighbour says she gathers them back home, dries them and uses them to flavour sauces and stews.
SEASON OF LISTS AND HOLLOW FRUITLESSNESS?
Reflecting on seasons today leads me to think about us and our metaphorical seasons. Maybe many of us came to France for the climate, or for a relaxed lifestyle. Quite recently someone on this website talked about every day in France being like a Sunday. We could choose to live a seamless, seasonless existence here, enjoying perennial pleasure and relaxation. After years of stress and hard work and saving money this may be just what we need, just what we deserve. And if that's what we've got and it feels good then it is good. But if we've fought that fight to get to our Utopia in France and we've found our 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' has deteriorated into a 'season of lists and hollow fruitlessness' then it's time for reflection and time for action. If 'eternal summers' is the problem, take a look at Nature and its deleterious effects such as dry, barren landscapes and thirsty deserts. Just so with us. No amount of wine will take the thirst away. We need our seasons too.
SEEKING SOUL-SEASONS
In a couple of previous articles we've looked at transitional journeys, and the need for humans to strive in order to thrive. Stasis, lack of growth and change, is in danger of making us bored, fat, drunk, depressed and anaesthetized to all that's beautiful, lovable and possible, particularly our potential to develop right to the very end of our lives. If, in your soul, you feel you're on the edge of a desert it's time to tune back into your own seasons. The exercises following this article could be useful. And if you do this work on yourself through Winter this year, and through the Spring and Summer of 2007, by Autumn next year you'll have some triumphant gathering of a different sort . By Christmas 2007 you could be celebrating who you are instead of dreading the impending 'New Year's Resolution' list that throws up the same old, stale old unresolved issues.
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
NURTURE YOURSELF THROUGH THE SEASONS TO A RICHER HARVEST
This London Coaching Academy exercise will help you think about what you want from life in the next year, and beyond. Remember to...
- Set aside a regular time each day to work your way through the stages of the exercise until you've completed it. Take your time. You'll be surprised how much you can do, even in a short but focused 20 minutes.
- Make this confidential. Although those around you may be curious, it is best not to share what you're thinking and writing about until you feel ready.
- Create a place to work that feels private, safe and unhurried.
- Although you may not know where the exercise will lead you, just keep this in mind: If you always do what you've always done you'll always get what you've always got. So be excited at the prospect of discovering just what it is you want to do differently in your life.
STEP 1 - Write down a list of at least 50 things that you want in your life. Arrange these under the headings 'Things that I want to HAVE', 'Things that I want to BE', and 'Things that I want to DO'.
STEP 2 - Write one sentence stating why each of these is important. If you can't do it for an item on your list, cross it off.
STEP 3 - Choose which of the following life areas are very important to you:
- family
- friends
- partner / significant other
- person
- career / work financial
- health and vitality
- emotional well-being
- social life
- fun and recreation
- physical environment (where you're living, how you're living, your surroundings)
- creativity
- spiritual life
- personal growth
- contribution
(Is there anything else you want to add to this list?)
Now narrow your list down to a maximum of 8 that are the most important to you and then prioritise the ones you have chosen.
STEP 4 - Write down exactly what success would look like in each of the 8 areas you have chosen?
STEP 5 - Take each of your 'have, be, do' goals in turn and ask 'Will having, being, or doing this thing improve the areas of my life (Step 3) that I consider to be very important?' Give one mark for each 'yes' answer.
STEP 6 - Select your top ten goals - the ones with the highest scores because these show congruence with your values.
STEP 7 - Divide your top ten goals into 4 types:
- Ongoing goals - something that you would choose to do every day.
- Short-term goals - things that could be achieved within a week or a month.
- Medium-term goals which could take between a month or a year to achieve.
- Long-term goals which could take a year or more to complete.
Now write down in detail what you would need to do to achieve each of these goals. Set a start date for each of these tasks.
NOW YOUR GOALS ARE 'DREAMS WITH A DATES'! GO FOR THEM!
Juliette Lowe is a counsellor living and working in the Languedoc area. Contact her with any questions at:
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