Have you ever heard of “taking a geographic cure”? Simply put it’s when someone is convinced that relocating is the answer to all their problems but in truth the real issue is inside them. Sure there are times when moving is exactly what the Universe commands. This was my experience when I moved to Maine. Things that had never quite jelled in Massachusetts settled into perfect form within months of arriving here. In many ways my life as an adult really kicked off the day I said YES to co-creating a custom tattoo studio in Portland. SO YES, sometimes a new location offers better opportunities (for example tattooing was still illegal in Massachusetts when I left). We get to have a fresh start. We can stretch our wings without an entire community of friends and family to tease us about the time Jenny decided to dye her hair fuschia and dress like Magenta from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
BUT there are other times when relocating takes away the last bits of needed pressure from the wound. It usually happens at the moment we realize there’s no magical do-over to fix our problems. We have to face what it means to leave everything familiar behind. So, in a matter of days, we start bleeding out mentally and emotionally. THIS is what happened when I went back to Ohio as a -wet behind the ears- 23 year old art school graduate. Everything was falling apart and I had to admit my life wasn’t working.
You can listen to a short podcast with all my gory details here.
I share my story because there’ve been plenty of times in my life when I needed to know I wasn’t the only one who’d gone SPLAT against the wall. I needed to know that I wasn’t the first person with no clue what would come next. Hitting bottom is scary. Admitting my life isn’t working the way I wanted it to took courage and a willingness to surrender my pride.
I know the stories that touch me the most are the ones that share the unvarnished, truth warts and all. That’s why I especially love Glennon Doyle’s book Love Warrior, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic and Geneen Roth’s book Lost and Found. I really appreciate women who aren’t afraid to be seen as snot covered, mascara smeared, train wrecks.
There’s a saying I heard long ago. “You can save your face, or you can save your a$$ but you can’t save both at the same time.” The first time I made the decision to save my butt I was 23 and spinning out. This is the time I talk about in this episode. It was the first step of many that have led me to the grace filled life I live today. It’s a choice I've gotten to remake every morning since.
My hope is to bring you raw & real stories with the reboot of the Empathic Mastery Show.
SO I’ve got 3 requests for you.
- 1. Please listen to the episode, leave a comment with your biggest takeaway, give it an honest rating and subscribe if you’re so inclined.
- 2. Share The Empathic Mastery Show with friends, family and on social media.
- 3. Reach out to Questions(AT)EmpathicMasteryShow(dot)com and tell me what you want to hear. Let me know what you struggle with and the solutions you pray for.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the show and I look forward to your thoughts.
BTW I really do want to hear from you about what you want on this podcast. I’ve already got a few great episodes on the docket and I can’t wait to be inspired by you requests to create more.
