It is spring in Paris and all around me there is fresh green sprouting from brown twigs and dark earth.
Have you touched a leaf recently, felt the texture and delicacy of the unfolding life, noticed the subtle structure echo the whorls in your fingertips or closed your eyes to listen to the soft rustle in the breeze?
Perhaps you are too busy. You have more pressing engagements. You do not have time for leaves, even though their ability to store sunlight is key to our basic survival on this planet.
Most educated people have an idea of the challenges we face as a species and society. Climate change, dwindling resources, increasing consumption and growing population are at the top of a long list.
Along with these challenges there are also assumptions that to change direction and live well depends on subscribing to certain stereotypes and myths.
For example to be ecologically responsible:
- Requires painful sacrifice
- You’ll have to leave the city and live in the woods
- You’ll have to be a vegetarian
- Is unsociable, and you’ll lose all your friends
- Is depressing to always think about how the world is falling apart
- You’ll be a holier than thou asshole like many other greens you’ve met
There are probably a lot more like this that you could think of, variations on these themes, and altogether new themes.
If you’ve read this far then you almost certainly recognise that you are part of a system that does not match your desire for sustainability, for justice, for care, beauty or respect.
However what if there was another way forward that did not depend on these myths that bridges these contradictions, and opens as naturally from your own sense of fullness as the leaf opening in spring sunlight?
It is greater fullness, appreciation in a way which balances consumption with creation that interests me.
Fullness comes from the appreciation of what is already here rather than chasing goals and ideals. It does not depend on chasing bigger thrills, bigger deals, bigger homes or bigger orgasms.
The ideals, the goals that come from fullness are quite different from the ones that come from a sense of need. The moment to moment choices are different.
The interesting question is how to live with greater joy, satisfaction and fullness in a way which contributes to systems that benefit more than bank accounts?
If this questions interests you, if it is something that calls to you then let’s speak or send me an e-mail. It is close to the heart of what I explore as a coach.
You are going to make a difference anyway so make it a difference that you want to live with.
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