Hi everyone! It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve met here…more about that at the end of the post.
But first…I HAVE to share with you this AMAZING experience I had last week. Seriously…Mind…Blowing…
I spent last week in a beautiful town on the coast of Maine. Being by the waves crashing against the rocks is such a soothing balm for my soul.
The last time I was there was in April, when I performed a “Commitment Ceremony” with myself for bringing my work out into the world in a much bigger way (it’s a funny story that you can read and see pictures in the post With This Ring.)
Last week I decided that it was time to do a REcommitment Ceremony. A lot of things have changed and blossomed in the last five months, and I wanted to acknowledge and honor that.
One thing that has gotten crystal clear to me recently is that I haven’t been treating my body well – whether it’s eating, sleeping, or exercising, I haven’t been taking care of my Self.
In my original Commitment Ceremony, I focused only on my professional commitment to myself. In my REcommitment Ceremony, I wanted to bring that more into balance.
So I gathered a bunch of big rocks (I wanted bigger rocks this time so that they would ground the experience even more solidly) and decorated them with a couple of Sharpies.
I made rocks for my personal commitments: eating well, resting, exercising, and keeping an open heart.
I made rocks for my professional commitments: coaching, writing, and speaking.
And I made rocks for the qualities I wanted to bring into both areas of my life: passion, focus, freedom, courage, and the wisdom to feel what’s right for ME!
I had all the necessary elements, but something was still missing. After a few minutes of thought I realized: I wanted to more clearly label the personal and the professional so I wouldn’t again fall into the trap of giving everything to my professional life and forgetting to take care of myself.
So I set out to find two more rocks – one that would head the “Professional” column and one that would head the “Personal” column.
I wandered around and found a rock I liked that had clearly been shorn in half when it smashed up against other rocks in the tide, so it had a really nice flat surface. I decorated it and it became my “Professional” rock.
Then I set off to find my “Personal” rock. I had lots to pick from because the little cove I was in was about 12 feet wide by at least 20 feet long and there are thousands upon thousands of rocks there.
I wandered off to a different area of the cove that I hadn’t been to yet and reached down for the first rock that caught my eye. It had a pleasing rounded shape, kind of like the end of a loaf of bread. I turned it over and saw this it also had been broken in half because the other side was neatly shorn. I had found my “Personal” rock.
So I carried it back to the others. And looked down at the “Professional” rock…and started shaking and goose bumps rose up all over my body because they were…
They were the two halves of the same whole rock!!!!!!
If I had gone out looking for them amongst those thousands of rocks, I couldn’t possibly have found them. But the Universe led me right to them.
And so it is that the two halves of my life have now been reunited – the personal and professional. Both are completely integral pieces of who I am and one does not exist without the other. And now it’s not just metaphorical – I have a very physical reminder of just how true that is.
Amazing.
***
I promised a little explanation of why I’ve been gone so long – the truth is, I’ve gotten burned out. And it’s largely because I haven’t been taking care of my Self. Lately I’ve had tons of ideas for posts stacking up in my head, but not enough clarity and focus to sit down and write them. So I’ve got a list of things that I want to share with all of you…and I’ll get to them. For the moment my main priority is pulling myself back into balance. And thanks to my rock, I have a daily reminder of how important that is.
7 comments
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Deb
September 23, 2013 at 9:42 PM (UTC -5) Link to this comment
WOW! That is very cool! Truly Goose-bumpy 🙂
Leah Carey
September 24, 2013 at 7:56 AM (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Thanks Deb! I had a feeling you’d like this one. 🙂
Terri
September 23, 2013 at 10:46 PM (UTC -5) Link to this comment
I live for stories like this! Your work is so important. Thank you for doing what you do.
Leah Carey
September 24, 2013 at 7:55 AM (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Thanks Terri! I checked out your blog post and it looks like you’re very much on the same path. Please keep taking care of you so you’ll have enough left over to share with others. ♥
Terri
September 23, 2013 at 10:49 PM (UTC -5) Link to this comment
I enjoy writing, speaking and coaching as well 😀
Terri recently posted at their blog…A Gift of Non-Attachment
Chara
September 24, 2013 at 6:47 AM (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Leah, what a stunning story! I, and so many of us, I think, struggle with the personal/professional conflict and integration, so I appreciate that you shared this amazing experience. What a great metaphor–two halves of the same stone–to help those of us who have some difficulty making everything fit together.
Chara recently posted at their blog…You are invited to “Repair the Earth, Heal Yourself: 4 Actions for Mutual Flourishing”
Leah Carey
September 24, 2013 at 7:54 AM (UTC -5) Link to this comment
Thanks Chara! I’m glad that it spoke to you the same way that it did to me. 🙂 Here’s to sharing our voices and staying in balance while we do it! ♥