Today in Cambridge, my neighbourhood is at its most beautiful. Covered in powdery snow, the landscape exudes a regal calm. I’ve been out for several walks and whoops, the cold air waking me up to the magnificence of being alive. I’ve chatted with neighbours I’ve never seen before and laughed with kids throwing snow-balls. There’s a real feeling of community here as the extra-ordinariness of today takes us out of our houses and jobs and into our streets. We’ve been given the chance to see the familiar anew.
For some, weather like this is inconvenient at best, dangerous at worst. I’m under no illusions that snow is pure magic. If you’re dependent on help arriving at your door or need to get somewhere urgently, this is no fun and my heart goes out to you. For many of us, though, we can seize today as a chance to get off the treadmill, postpone till tomorrow, grab our friends, family, partner and colleagues and reconnect, rest, energise and reflect. We can take time out of the ordinary to enjoy the full potential of the extra-ordinary.
At its very least, this weather reminds us of how beholden we are to nature, to our climate. We are not in control, no matter how much we pretend to be. The huge snowflakes blowing in my face this morning said loud and clear:
Sometimes you have to receive and adapt. We must be open to negotiating new ways of living. When the bus doesn’t run, the car’s snowed under or the school’s shut down, we create new options – for one day, maybe for more. When we allow ourselves to detach from business as usual, we find different – sometimes preferable – ways of living in these times. Sometimes our world does things differently – and we just get to follow…
The World Needs Your Passion, So…
1) Inquiry: How do I respond when the extra-ordinary happens, when ‘business as usual’ is not possible?
2) Inquiry: Where in my life am I trying to fight to re-establish business as usual when I could let go and trust that another way is possible? Which of life’s circumstances could I receive and adapt to?
3) For goodness sake, get out there! In the UK as in other parts of the world, this snow is so rare and so precious. Let’s get wet, get dirty, take the risk of saying hello to people, swing out. 4) Please feel free to comment on this post, letting us know about your laughter and learnings on this snow day.
© Corrina Gordon-Barnes, 2009
** Does fear of failing keep you plodding on with business as usual, even though you’re longing for the extra-ordinary? **
My Fail Is Not A Four Letter Word workshop this Saturday only has ONE place left and I may have a taker so instead of promoting that, I’m including a link to an ‘expression of interest’ form. This means you’ll be first to hear about future workshops, 1-1 coaching & e-products to support you with breaking free from this discomfort. Click here to let me know you’d like to be free from fear of failure sometime soon!