alignment coaching

What Kind of Knowing Keeps Us Upright?

Where do we find a knowing that gives us sure footing as the waves of change roll in all around us?

“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

What if all strength and steadiness came from the simple knowing of now?

“There is a universal, intelligent life force that exists within everyone and everything. It resides within each one of us as a deep wisdom, an inner knowing. We can access this wonderful source of knowledge and wisdom through our intuition, an inner sense that tells us what feels right and true for us at any given moment.” — Shakti Gawain

Ask not, ‘Is it true?’ but ‘Does it feel good?’

When Your Mind Tries to Scam You…

Hang up! Then wash your mind out…

I was sitting at my sister’s kitchen table while she made a work call from her office. I’d had the most wonderful three days with her and her lovely husband. Three days without a wobble. Not a moment of sadness. Ne’er a twinge of worry. Wall to wall sunshine, inside and out. What a delight!

I’d lost sight of my puppy-dog mind for a while. Clearly, it had enjoyed the break too. Lots of happy distraction from the soothing of sweet company.

Now, however, we were headed home, my puppy-dog mind and I. And as I sat at that kitchen table, my inner mischief-maker found itself a toilet roll to shred…

“Love Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry”… Unless It’s NOT Your Fault Then, saying sorry is worthwhile

A busy working mum takes her child into the supermarket. He’s a tall boy of seven, with dark, intelligent eyes, a puppy dog smile and a slight lisp when he speaks.

A casual observer would see the boy charging up and down aisles with the energy of a springer spaniel — keen to be involved, full of grins and noisy with it.

A closer look would show us something slightly odd. Each time the boy returns to his mother’s side, he thrusts his left hand in her face. The hand is grubby, inked with letters. The third time the hand flashes in front of her, the bemused woman reads the word he’s written there in pen:

“Sorry”

Lessons from a Life Un-lived – Making friends with our fears

Lessons from a Life Un-lived – Making friends with our fears

Three steps to making friends with your fear…

Hurtling towards the rocks as the Dordogne opened out into a massive toothy grin, I wondered if taking a lesson or two might have been wise before leaping into this kayak for my virgin trip.

Don’t hit that great big rock, don’t hit that great big rock, don’t hit that…. bloody hell.

All my ‘don’t-ing’ drew me (of course) to the biggest rock of the bunch, with the force of a junkyard, car-lifting magnet. I was about to be scrapped.

I remember an insane prioritising of sandals over paddle as the kayak crunched and capsized. I grabbed for my footwear as the boulder bit and I watched the blade swoosh away on the current… Well, at least I wouldn’t die without footwear…

Duck, Duck, Dare… Finding confidence to play in the snow

It was pure comedy: a Tik Tok clip of a flock of 30 ducks or more, pouring out of their shed like noisy molasses, onto the surrounding sloped land, only to discover unexpected snow. To a bird, they responded as one.

First, scanning the weirdly white world, heads swivelled in alarm as the flock stood still. They shared a brief ‘What the f**k?!’ moment as they registered the shocking state of affairs.

Then, at a three-quarter flap, their fluid formation turned on its communal webbed heel, flowing right back up the little hill and into the safety and warmth of the shelter.

The whole thing was over in less than a minute. The birds moved like liquid, all as one, of one mind, with one response to this frozen world of crunchy white.

I’m still grinning. It feels like it should be a child’s game, Duck, Duck Dare…
But where am I going with this?

Well, nearly right back into the shed, in truth.