”I was recently talking to a friend and we realized that each one of us created, at a particular moment, memories for a lifetime.
I can say that I have been to many places in the world, I have experienced a lot, I have worked, I have studied and learned a lot.
From the helicopter fly around one of the wonders of the world, Christ the Redeemer, or over Niagara Falls, to deep India, from Japan which pampered me, to the toughest Safari in South Africa, from a two-year executive master in coaching and consulting at Insead, to parachute jumping, from an initiation trip with a group of clients to Delphi, Greece, where the Oracle of Antiquity was, to projects with Cartier, the famous luxury watch and jewelry company, from the most beautiful shoes and the most surprising perfumes to cooking class, from Thai experiences to those in Las Vegas or NY, to name just a few, life has given me extraordinary opportunities that I would relive at any time.
It doesn’t mean I haven’t had extremely hard times, so hard that I don’t know if I’ll ever have the strength to tell others about them; but I lay them down on paper in order to free myself, from time to time. But I chose to focus here and now on what was exceptional for me. In the end, I think it is essential to create memorable moments, from which to have stories to tell but also to think about them with love, nostalgia, joy.
The pandemic limited us and it took a lot of inventiveness to create such unforgettable moments. Of course, there were those hard times, lockdown, getting used to working from home or going out in a world threatened by illness, difficulties with online school, for those with children, lack of contact with friends, colleagues, relatives. We will not forget these easily. But what were the memorable moments? What were those little events that will stay in our minds for years to come?
I think many of the negative experiences will be screened and the mind will filter what it likes to remember. I have an exception here: the disappearance of a loved one. With such disappearances, a part of us also leaves, it feels like we aren’t whole anymore, for a long time, and never the same. We were learning to live changed, with a broken part of our soul.
But going back to the moments that were memorable for me in the pandemic, here are a few:
How I was luring my colleagues with ‘it’s a little longer, you’ll see, we’ll be staying at home for two months and that’s it’. Then I started saying until autumn, until October, December, January … I don’t know how much they believed me, but we kept close to each other and we encouraged each other. And for these, I am grateful.
I participated in a webinar marathon at Thinkers 50: 24 hours together with 24 of the Top 50 thinkers of the contemporary world. It was an impressive experience!
I have seen how fear is above any interpersonal relationship and can wipe with a sponge practically everything, unfortunately; I quickly saw parts of people that I might not have noticed otherwise until a long time ago. How good it was that I saw them!
I had a large number of coaching projects, which kept my mind busy, did not allow it to have negative slips.
I ate more bread and butter than I ate in my adult life, and that reminded me of my childhood and, just like then, it was nowhere to be found on my body ☺️.
I took a cooking class.
I wrote a lot.
I did more medical tests than I did in 10 years; the year 2020 was difficult from a health perspective and, fortunately, I got over it without falling in a valley of complaint – here are the small victories of the pandemic.
I put on Netflix and watched a lot of movies (although I had promised myself that I would resist and spend my time reading, not in front of my laptop until late at night); but now I can have conversations about a Netflix movie too.
I reconnected with some people, made new friends, and lost others; I’m not saying it didn’t hurt, on the contrary; I made an effort to accept that I can’t hold anyone if they don’t want to stay, whatever I do. And the ones I won always make me happy.
I read more than in recent years, and it brought me closer to how I was for many years, I would say closer to me. I know, it sounds like a cliché of the last period, but I think that, beyond empty statements and words, being good to ourselves is a state we reach with time, with intentional, consistent efforts.
In years and years, maybe not only age will make us shrug our shoulders but also our many memories. I hope there are so many, exceptional out there, that will make great stories to tell. As Joan Didion said, ‘we tell stories so we can live’. When these memories are sprinkled with some love, then they become even more important. And regrets will not find their place in our minds and souls.
What memories did you create?”
via: Forbes