Reimagine the Future

In true form for these unusual times we find ourselves in, as we head into winter in the southern hemisphere, our usual time for dormancy, reflection and rest; we emerge from a collective hibernation to a world that is reopening after the coronavirus shutdown. It’s a little topsy turvey and upside down don’t you think? Normally as the cold sets in, so do we. But this year, for us in the south anyway it’s the opposite.

So, what does this time hold for us as our communities reopen? We are still all managing closed borders, adhering to social distancing measures, hunting for a vaccine and of course heeding the warnings of a second wave. But we are also re-imaging a new future, taking stock of what really is important and defining what’s essential to our health and our wellbeing. I love hearing the conversations pleading with us not to rush back into normal. The concern being, that if we rush when we haven’t yet mustered the strength nor the mindset, it will all becomes too hard and the dreams and aspirations for doing this differently will be lost in the convenience of doing them the way we always have. It’s easy to hear these conversations and feel like we are on the periphery. The reality is we are in the centre.

A collective change starts in the hearts and minds of the members. It’s up to each and every one of us to reimagine our future and take the steps we need to make it happen. I’ve recently read the Glennon Doyle book Untamed and in this she talks openly and candidly about the everyday suffering we both experience and see around us. Much of this she attributes with social conditioning and the taming we experience to fit in, stay small and be compliant. But she also attributes everyday struggle and pain with the greed and power of those upstream. She quotes Archbishop Desmond Tutu:

“there comes a time where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they are falling in.”

If there was ever a time to walk upstream, then now is the time to do that.

As leaders we need to be the brave ones that start to speak up and say “no more”. As mothers we need to protect the future we’ve reimagined for the benefit of our children and as women we need to step into advocacy and make our voices count. What we are experiencing now is hard. What we will experience in the future is hard. So, we may as well make that future what we want it to be.

So whatever season you are heading into, make this season about garnering the strength, strengthening the resolve and resolving that no matter what - you won’t forget what you learnt, what you imagined and what you believed you could make possible. We’ve got this when we do it together xx