Coronavirus, Anxiety & Thanksgiving

I was driving to my son’s Christmas market yesterday having just received notice from school about a Grade 1 pupil with Covid-19. My nerves were in a twist.

Since last Thanksgiving, about 5million people have died, South Africa is headed for a “fourth wave” and a new variant of the Corona virus (Omicron?) seems to be our next big threat. No wonder, I thought, No bloody wonder scientists have had to coin a new term. “Covid-19 Anxiety Syndrome” says it all. This pandemic has messed with our heads and we will have scars for many years to come.

Before we walked into the market, I spent some time alone to get grounded and centered. When I felt ready, I headed straight to the bar. That’s when I bumped into someone I haven’t seen for about 2 years. The first thing we spoke about was her cancer. “I heard you were ill,” I said, “How are you feeling?”

She generously took me through her journey, right from the lump she found in her breast and later her armpit to the double mastectomy, chemo and long road home. As she walked away with her two young children, something really stayed with me. She was so GRATEFUL! She told me that not only was she grateful to be alive but she was sooooooo touched people! Naturally, her friends and family were there to support her but it was the random meal drop-offs, help with the kids, kind words, flowers and support from people in her neighborhood that touched her big time.

The sense of gratitude helped to shift her focus from poor me to blessed-me! This despite the sadness, fear and trauma she is still working through.

Happy Thanksgiving Photo by Olenka Sergienko on Pexels.com

As the sun set, the sound of happy children, smell of boerie rolls, champagne glasses clanking and the odd glow in the dark toy lit me up inside. I was grateful for my good health, grateful for the wonderful night sky, my amazing mom friends and my tall, handsome boy who I watched laughing in the distance. But, like my old friend, it was the people that gave me the feels. Our community of love.

I wonder if scientists are going to coin a term called Covid-19 Gratitude Syndrome because just everything seems a little more special at this point in the game.

Lee

Are you scared to make JOB change? Maybe my story will give you some hope…

I had a really crap job as a dog’s body at an insurance company in Rosebank many years ago. It was right upstairs from Fournos — a fast-food-style deli and bakery. 

One of my jobs was to archive old claim files. From my spot on the dirty grey carpet, the faces of the happy people who had just bought their takeaway coffee and croissants were not really visible, but I saw the way they walked and that’s what I wanted! Freedom. 

I remembered this chapter of my life this morning while sitting at the very Fournos. I’d say it’s about 18 years later. I can still picture the unsure girl that used to hate her job and the grey carpet. 

My dream was to move into my own office at the insurance company but life took me in another direction. One morning, I took the risk of meeting a recruiter at Fournos. She offered me a temp position at a new IT firm for triple the salary. The only catch was that it was not permanent. I would stand in for someone going on maternity leave. 

My instinct is always to say YES. So, I did. 

The next thing I had to do was talk to my boss. I was sure I could catch him before his “secret” (not so secret since she told everyone) lover closed the door for their daily meeting.  

“Can I be honest with you?”, he said.  Ah, those famous words I hate so much; usually a pre-cursor to some bullshit. 

“Sure,” I replied. 

“I would not hire you. You are too young and…well, you are not good enough.” 

I prepared a resignation letter the next day and asked HR to let me use my leave in lieu of notice. 

“That won’t be necessary,” HR told me. “Here are the calculations for your retrenchment package.” 

 I did not know it was coming. 

I used the cash to buy a new car and drove into my new job like a mother-bleep.

xoxo Lee

Overhearing a Compliment – It’s just magical!

Did you know that overhearing a compliment about yourself magnifies its impact by many hundreds of percentages?

I sort of knew this because I read it sometime back on one of the conscious parenting community blogs. It said that if you tell your child that she’s a wonderful, kind human being that she’s likely to roll her eyes but if she overhears someone else saying the exact same thing about her she’s far likely to believe it. Intriguing, right?

But think about it. Imagine you’re standing at a party and you overhear two people having a conversation about you. “She always looks amazing! Hot and kind? She is the full package!” Right? It would go straight to your heart.

Photo by Olya Kobruseva on Pexels.com

That’s what happened to me when I read something one of my clients wrote this week. Cara Carozza, author of Many Gifts – Seeing beyond the Setbacks posted this on her blog:

“Lee is more than a writing coach to me. She has become a friend. But, it’s her work process that I am so grateful for. Lee is a dream weaver! She uses her intuitive gifts extensively in her work to get guidance for each project, each client, each moment. As she receives messages, Downloads, and guidance she very gently shares the information to check for resonance. In my case, Lee’s intuitive nudges were always spot on. It’s the best feeling to know that you are being supported energetically. Lee calls it “holding space” and I believe that this is the future of all things corporate. If we can use our hearts more, we all win.”

Someone sent Cara’s post to me and said, “Lee, Cara is right! You ARE a dream weaver. Thank you for everything.”

It was a wonderful feeling.

So I encourage you to compliment, compliment, compliment genuinely. You are sowing the seeds of inspiration.

Lee