Carolyne Rashford's Blog

Everyday but especially on Canada Day, I celebrate how blessed I am to live in the best country in the world.

“The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old but on building the new.” Socrates

We have all heard the saying that change is the only constant in life. As annoying as the saying is I think we can all agree that it is the truth. The reality is, we are in control of how we manage the change(s) that we face in both our personal and professional lives.

This past weekend brought a significant paradigm shift in our household as our first born left for university. Logically, I have known that this day was eventually going to get here but as the day approached I found myself tangled up in excitement, trepidation and a host of other emotions all at the same time. I felt excited for our daughter that she had achieved her goal and was starting a new chapter in her life, worried about her living away from home, praying that she makes good decisions and understanding that just as I did at her age she will make some mistakes. My hope for her is that her university experience is everything that she is hoping for.

It has been interesting watching her and her siblings these last few weeks. Our daughter has been so excited to go to university that I didn’t think she had any fears about moving away. One day last week she came and lay beside me in our bed and told me she was a little nervous about going away. We had a great conversation acknowledging that there was nothing wrong with being afraid. I told her that the best way to combat her anxiety was to learn as much as she could about where her classes were, how to get to them, and to utilize all the resources that were available to her. Our other children have also shown signs that the change is affecting them. My son commented on how much he will miss his oldest sister and our middle daughter spoke of the lack of late night talks with her sister. As for myself, the first real noticeable change was driving back home after dropping her off. The ride was so quiet that we all commented on it. These next few weeks will take some getting used to, but we will adjust, and I know we will all eventually get comfortable in our routines again.

Change in our professional lives can happen more often and more abruptly than in our personal lives, which can cause us frustration. Our best approach to handling adjustments in our work environment is to ensure, like my daughter, that we learn as much about the change as we can and utilize all the resources available to us. Knowledge is a key tool in helping us navigate through the new environment in which we find ourselves.

This morning as I looked out my bedroom window into my backyard, I was surprised to see two daffodils in my garden.  I am not sure why since I know that they come back every year and it is May after all.  However this year winter seemed to have a bitter hold over those of us in south-western Ontario as witnessed by the unexpected ice-storm we experienced a few short weeks ago. My son`s piano teacher said it best when she likened winter to a person who we were arguing with who kept coming back reminding us that there was one more thing they had to say.

The quote above captures the essence of two realities for me, the fact that winter`s grip on us cannot last forever and the more figurative meaning which is that no matter how bad things can seem, they also cannot last forever.

I am beyond excited that we are finally experiencing some signs of spring. The early sunrises accompanied by singing birds, the warmer temperatures that seemed like they would never come back and the emergence of beautiful flowers all signals that spring has truly sprung. My daffodils reminded me that even though they were out of sight they were always present. This can be true in our own lives, during difficult times when faced with uncertainty, we have to know that we will make it through, that we have a strength and resolve that we may be unaware off buried deep within us.

Spring serves as a reminder to us that we can start over again, it is a rebirth of sorts. We can forget about what has happened over the winter and look at what we want to accomplish for the rest of the year. I for one look forward to hitting the re-set button and working harder at achieving some of the goals that I may have allowed to hibernate over the winter.

I hope that spring allows you a new start if that is what you are looking for, otherwise may you enjoy all that spring has to offer in all her glory.

I believe that each of us has unique gifts and talents and our true life’s purpose is fulfilled when we discover our gifts, live them and ultimately share them with the world.  This year I have chosen this theme to be my driving force.  In our crazy busy lives it can be difficult to take time to do an inventory of ourselves, to look within and examine what we are really about, what we want to accomplish in life and how we want to do it.

After doing some reading on the subject I have found some steps that can help all of us on this journey of discovery.  Here is a list from Deepak Chopra https://chopra.com/articles/self-worth-5-ways-to-identify-your-unique-gifts

• How did you love to spend your time as a child
• What are you passionate about as an adult
• What is important to you about life
• Ask your family, friends and co-workers (ask five people to tell you your strengths)

Lets get started on our journey of discovering our amazing gifts.