Seasoned Voices: “Someday”
Flavoured With Insight. Infused With Heart. Painting by Pearl.
This post is part of our Seasoned Voices series – the September edition.
Each writer brings her own perspective, experiences, reflections, insights on midlife and the seasons of our lives. We chose one of three themes to write about - the company of women, friendship, and someday. I think you’ll find each writer has something special to say about the theme they chose. Enjoy!
At the end of this post, you’ll find links to the other contributors’ writing, so you can explore our voices and reflections in this shared writing journey.
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Someday…
I’ve started and stopped writing about “someday” several times in the last few days, but nothing I wrote felt right. The words didn’t fit together. The sentences were rambling and disconnected. I just couldn’t seem to make any angle of the story fit seamlessly.
So, I went back to one of the tools I’ve been learning to implement in the last two years of my weight loss and health journey – the pause. What a gift this simple and yet hard-to-do tool is!
I sat down, took a few breaths, noticed the sun pouring in the window and through our patio door, then closed my eyes as a soft, cool breeze brushed my face and hands.
As I began a round of EFT Tapping, I noticed the shift from being stuck and resistant to feeling my chest open and body beginning to relax. I experienced space where jumbled thoughts used to be, and suddenly I knew that “someday” had arrived without fanfare or a big announcement.
Within the pause, I noticed the change from wishing I could lose weight “someday”, to seeing the evidence that I can, that it’s happening now, today.
From hoping that “someday” emotional eating would recede into my past to noticing when emotions rise and instead of eating them away, I can pause, acknowledge them, and gently ask “what do you need in this moment?”- not “someday”, but now.
“Someday” used to be filled with hopes and dreams of losing weight and one day reaching a goal weight that would mean the end of the journey. Today that “someday” is about the journey, and less about reaching a specific number on the scale. Now I see each day as an opportunity to continue this journey, creating a lifestyle that will carry me to the end of my life, “someday”.
Now when I think of “someday”, I can’t help but realize that the pause leads me to discerning what’s important and then moves me towards taking action as I did two years.
A year ago, I hoped to travel solo to the UK “someday”. I did it this summer. It took pausing to help me decide if it was important enough, to help me accept the fear I had of going alone, and to realize I already had the tools I needed to navigate through my weight loss and health journey while on vacation.
Some of my “someday” thoughts and ideas have fallen by the wayside, not worthy of the effort and commitment it would take to make them happen. The significance of pausing - of being present within the pause, is powerful. It's what makes 'someday' shift from hopes and dreams to reality.
It’s easy to say “I wish I’d known this sooner”, but perhaps the time was right two years ago to learn how to make the most of “someday”. Rest assured I intend to keep the pause active - to make the most of the hopes, dreams, and the “someday” that arrives without fanfare.
If you were writing with me - your pen, favorite journal, and a moment to pause in place - I’d ask you this:
What does "someday" mean to you? If you paused long enough to notice - what might you find has already arrived?
Thanks for reading. If you care to share your thoughts with me, reply in the comments or send me an email.
Joan
Please keep scrolling and click on the links below to learn what my Seasoned Voices sisters have written about.
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