These words have been never far from my mind since we closed on 23rd March. It was a long 104 days while we were closed. I lost track of time, and myself, at some point on almost every one of those days.
It is a real testament to our resilience. To come out the other side of this experience and to be unaffected in some way by it. Life as we know it has changed forever.
Throughout these last few months, I have eagerly awaited the moment when we would get the go ahead to open. It reminded me of being a kid and living through the miner’s strike of 1984. That feeling of uncertainty, of listening to opposing sides of the story, them and us. That feeling of knowing something big was happening but having no real solid idea around how or why.
So often in life when we unconsciously believe that things are strangely familiar, yet we do not know how. We can begin to become aware of a sense of urgency that previously was not there. We can seem a little off balance or affected by things we cannot tangibly identify. We just know.
This unnerving and intuitive response is driven by the way our mind and body compares previous experiences, with our current reality.
This way of simultaneously processing information can lead to a shutting off, or firing up, of our autonomic responses. In our perceived reality we can make or break a mould to operate from.
During lockdown I’ve seen a lot of broken and newly sculpted moulds. I’ve watched people change career paths, engage with their children or throw themselves into work like they never have before. I have seen others reinvent themselves, self-assign themselves as community leaders and step up to become part of the solution. However never more before have I seen so many people just take a step inside. To assess where they are, what they have become and who they have given birth too.
As the adult child of a parent who struggled with addiction, I have found this time has guided towards others with similar experiences. This has resulted in me developing my R.A.F.T model to address the lifelong impact these early life experiences have. I have taken time to create a consultation model providing people with a better understanding of what Floatation has to offer. I have got involved with a new venture with new friends. I have taken time to reassess and prioritise a few things and just generally kept my busy mind occupied. I have taken time to gather my thoughts and most importantly to float as often as I could.
In life’s journey your path is unique to you. Never forget it does not matter who taught you what, or who shared what with you. Your emotions and experiences and yours to keep and store. It is your choice to discard what no longer serves you and to make the most of what you’ve learnt.
Again, I am absolutely delighted to be open and promise you a warm and relaxing welcome when you get here. Look forward to seeing you.
