What we're doing, for the most part, is borrowing from our own and our friends experiences. We're people with grown and (almost) gone children and we're using the excitement and challanges of this new living arrangement to understand more clearly the needs of "empty nester's". We want to help them (and us) transition from the new and sometimes eerie experience of a strangely quiet house into a sense that this is the beginning of an exciting new phase of life. Many of us put a part of our lives on hold when kids came on the scene. Perhaps we can revitalize those old dreams and desires now that they're gone. But I digress.
One of the symbols we had on our prospective site were geese. Geese are all over Berkeley, so it works on that level. Also, geese help each other fly. When they make that V in the air, they are making the most aerodynamic formation for wind resistent flight. When the leader gets tired, a new leader takes his or her place. That is so cool, symbolically, and it's just what we're about! We want an exchange of views and ideas to keep us flying free despite the winds of change that might blow us off course. We love that feeling of community, the sense that even if our kids are gone and our lives are different, we have, as a generation, each other. We think that's something to cherish and celebrate.
So we got involved with putting geese doing various things on the site. The drawings were classy and cute, and we felt it added a different look to our offering.
Our business guru felt differently.
We had a real struggle with our ego after our review. We had to admit that most of what he said had merit, and we went about implimenting the changes requested . . . but what about our geese! Could we incorporate them and still have a sophisticated and professional enough web presence?
I mulled it over as I took my walk that day. I ended up going in a direction I don't usually go. When I reached an open area I realized I had been lost in thought and not paying attention to where I was. I glanced around to locate my unleashed dog and noticed an odd shape on the ground. Here's what I found:
Ask a question, and the Universe answers in the most interesting and wonderful ways. It encourages us, too, to walk a line between what an expert tells us to do and what our instincts and heart say.
We all need to be who we are. That means we need to KNOW who we are, and we do that by feeling our way into our true selves. We have to hold any advice we get up to the litmus test of our emotions. Does what we're hearing feel right?
Or does it feel wrong. We have to step away from our egos on this. They will defend us strongly and reject even good advice if we're too attached to who we think we are and what we've created. We really need to step back and look clearly at what others say, and trust that the right message will naturally filter to the top. You can tell when someone's opinion is "right" because it will feel right, even if it is one we didn't think of ourselves. With a little patience and clarity, we will find the way through the maze of opinions, advice, and our own fixed ideas and find the path that leads us to our true home.
Love, Kristine
