One Day You Finally Knew… And Began.

Sounds so easy, doesn’t it – “and began”.

Just like that, you stopped feeling confused or stressed or fed up and began.

I don’t know about you but for me it conjures up an image of a beautifully graceful woman in floating fabrics just gliding effortlessly through life. It’s an enticing image but it doesn’t match my experience of beginning, that’s for sure.

This quote is from a poem. One of my favourite poems called The Journey. I love it because I think so many people can relate to it’s story.

The Journey is about branching out on our own – finding our own path in the world – finding our own selves in the world. Beginning doesn’t always look like having all of the answers or having a detailed map and navigation equipment to take us to the place we want to be.

Sometimes beginning looks like just knowing that you’ve outgrown this way of being in the world.
Sometimes beginning is just saying “I want to be somewhere else. I want to be someone else.”

Mary isn’t unaware of the great struggles that we face in trying to do this – she tells us about the people around us who don’t want us to change and the reality that our paths ahead are littered with obstacles. Since this isn’t meant to be an essay, nor am I an English teacher, I’ll spare you the poetry analysis but I think the idea that while it isn’t all plain sailing, it’s still possible – essential even – is important to bear in mind.

We live in an age where we are bombarded by fast change – lose 7lbs in 7 days, make £5000 with this scheme, think positive thoughts and you’ll change your entire outlook immediately. Yeah. Right.

Change can take a while and while we’re doing it, it can feel scary and we can feel so alone. But it’s worth it.

The poem ends:

“and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognised as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do –
determined to save
the only life you could save.”

Are you ready to begin? What does it look like?

Alice offers counselling and psychotherapy sessions from her private practices in Bingham and West Bridgford in Nottingham. She believes that journeys are often easier when travelling with a guide and she has a well thumbed guide book that she’s willing to share. To book in, click here.