Becoming Unstuck -- A weekend of connection, joy and abundance

I spent the weekend with seven women and here's my biggest takeaway

*A reminder that I’m going live on Zoom tomorrow morning at 9am AEST to talk about managing screen time in our families. Please join me for what will surely be a very insightful (hopefully helpful) conversation. Details are in this post.

This past weekend, I was joined by seven women at our home in Minnie Water for a beautiful gathering of connection, conversation, good food and really just the time and space to slow down together. The theme for the gathering was Becoming Unstuck, and we spent the weekend sharing, listening and encouraging each other as we sat in circle in the lounge room or lingered at the dining table long after meals were eaten and plates were cleared.

On Saturday morning, my friend Naomi Anderlini led a beautiful guided meditation and art therapy session that helped us reconnect with the person we are beneath the roles, responsibilities and busyness of motherhood. Later that day, my friend Natalie Walton led a thoughtful conversation on reconnecting with what brings us joy, and invited us each to write our own ‘joy list’ — a collection of the big and small things in life that make us feel most alive. I loved this exercise and was surprised by how easily the list flowed. I quickly wrote down more than 50 things!

Here are some of the things on my joy list:

• rubbing the dog’s ears

• playing card games with my kids

• playing pickleball on Tuesdays and Thursdays

• the first sip of coffee

• stirring the porridge in the morning

• eating porridge

• sprinkling cinnamon

• snuggles in bed with Wilkie

• finding a treasure at the op shop

• taking photos on my film camera

• getting film photos developed

• a tidy house

• surfing

• watching my teenagers sing in the car

• lying in the sunshine

• hopping into a bed with fresh sheets

• FaceTime calls with my sister and her babies

• playing backgammon after dinner with Michael

• reading a good book

• whistling a tune

• riding a horse

• kissing Michael (also sex!)

• a sad song when you need a good cry

• eating prunes and thinking of my grandma

• laughing so hard I could pee my pants

• impromptu dance parties in the kitchen

• beach combing

• a cookie jar full of cookies

• being kissed on the neck when I’m least expecting it

• travelling somewhere new

• travelling somewhere familiar

• hugs from my kids

Writing this list was actually a joyful exercise in itself, and it reminded me that there is so much in my life that makes me very happy. Most of the things on my list are things that I get to experience often, even daily. My life is abundant in joy. (And I am certain yours is too.)

One of the beautiful things that came up after this exercise was the idea of the abundance mindset and how it shapes our ability to move forward, even when life feels uncertain or stuck. At its core, the abundance mindset is the belief that there is enough. Enough time, enough opportunity, enough love, enough support and even enough money. (As Naomi told me: the universe doesn’t have a budget!)

When we approach life from a place of abundance, we tend to feel more open, expansive, and generous — not just with others, but with ourselves.