Expect the Unexpected

Expect the unexpected — that’s a perfect motto for life in general, right? For everyone. I went through a (sort of) unexpected change a little over a month ago. I lost my job. Rather, my position was eliminated. I didn’t lose anything, really — I know exactly where my job went. Gone. A lot of changes had occurred at the company over the months leading up to this layoff (which affected many others as well), so I knew it was coming sooner or later. But I wasn’t quite ready for it. That said, it was time, maybe past time, to move on. As much as I liked my coworkers, I was no longer growing in my position. I was stagnating. So, this was the Universe’s way of catapulting me toward my next adventure.

It will be five weeks as of Friday, September 28. Luckily, I have managed to find some freelance work as I search for something more “permanent.” But I’ve battened down the hatches significantly. No more trip to Iceland in January, for example. Though disappointing, it’s not the end of the world. Frankly, it’s a First World problem. All being well, Iceland will still be there next year (and beyond) and I can reschedule. The Northern Lights and magical volcanic landscape will have to wait a little longer. But it’s OK. This is forcing me to refocus and re-evaluate my career, plus make updates to my resume and LinkedIn profile. So, I’m rising from the ashes. I’m a phoenix looking for a new job, growing into a new version of myself.

Meanwhile, we just went through the autumnal equinox, here in the Northern Hemisphere (the spring, or vernal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere). The equinox is a time when there is equal daylight and nighttime — a balance of light and dark. It’s a time of balance and rebalancing.

We also had a Harvest Moon on Monday. This full moon occurs around the end of September (September 24th this year) when summer officially ends and fall begins. Its name harkens back to when folks would gather the last of the summer harvest. If you look at the cycle of the moon in general, a full moon is a time for taking stock of your accomplishments and abundance. It’s also a time for considering what you may want to let go of in order to make room for something new in your life as the moon moves into its next phase and begins to wane. At the other end of the cycle, the new moon, it’s time to think about intentions — in other words, what do you want to manifest?

I don’t know about you, but I felt a great need to clear out and sort through stuff over the weekend. Rebalancing. Recalibrating. Sorting out what’s no longer needed. Harvesting my old self. Clearing the field to make way for the new, if you will. I found both the equinox and the Harvest Moon to be especially poignant for me.

What about you? What comes next for you? What’s no longer serving you? What do you need to let go of? Where do you want to grow? Where might you need more balance in your life?

(Image: Stock image, https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=222672&picture=harvest-moon)