Tag: work

My Passions

lizaaitken

I read this fantastic post by Kayla at essencentral  It inspired me to think about my own passions. In her post Passion and Purpose she asks a number of questions so I thought I’d have a go at answering them.

Please give Kayla’s post a read, it’s truly inspiring!

What puts a smile on my face?

People, my family and friends and people in general.

Relationships are important to me, I like to communicate and not on a superficial level either. I love deep conversation with like minded people. I like to explore emotions and I like to help others work out what’s meaningful, I like to find purpose to life. Sometimes we have to talk to bring out what’s inside and talking to others who understand is the best way to do this. I like to help others work things out, it makes me happy, it helps me feel worthwhile. I’m empathic and work with energy, I’m also able to connect authentically as a human being which is essential in building relationships. I like to look after people, I like to show others how to look after themselves or others. We are made up experiences and have amazing stories to tell, I like to help people tell their stories.

Writing, it’s the outlets for my thoughts, how I work myself out and make sense of my life or the world around me. I find writing both healing and inspiring, it’s a way to tell our stories.

Nature and the lessons it teaches us, the messages of growth and transformation, the beauty of it. I am always out in nature, it feeds me and if I’m out of sorts at all it heals me.

Memories….

What do I find easy?

Communicating, I like people so it’s easy for me. I’m not afraid of my feelings either, I find it easy to express myself, I wear my heart on my sleeve and I’m not afraid of what others might think.

I’ve spent the last 20 years working with people traumatised by their experiences in therapeutic settings. I’m able to work in situations of crisis, I’m empathic but able to separate myself from the trauma and not take it with me.

I’m practical, I’m able to break things down into something that’s easier to manage and understand. This has been helpful in managing groups and individuals but also in direct work, helping others work out what might seem muddled and insurmountable.

I’m not afraid of public speaking, in fact I quite enjoy it even if I have to harness a bit of fire by putting on my lipstick and high heals!

I like to look after others, feed them, cook for them, care for them and make them happy. I like to cook, I find it easy and my friends seem to like my food, I’m usually the designated cook!

What sparks my creativity?

Love, nature, kindness, fresh food, colours, beauty and people and the words they use.

Stories, I think we all have a story to tell and I love to think about the story behind something. Walking in nature I like to think about what it’s saying, what is the message it’s giving. The world around us teaches us so much if we take the time to look and listen.

What would I do for free?

All of the above but it would be nice to be paid 😉

I will always help people, lends an ear, help them work out their problems. As a child I was called Liza the Advisor and it’s sort of continued although I won’t interfere, people have to want help. I don’t believe in telling others how to live their lives.

I write every day, it’s my therapy and I have to cook to eat!

What do I like to talk about?

Love, emotions, philosophy, spirituality, health…..

I like to talk but I don’t like to waste my words, idle chit-chat isn’t for me unless it is leading somewhere deeper. I like meaningful conversations even if we might be searching for answers forever as I love to philosophise.

I’m into spirituality and love to talk with like minded people, explore and learn new things. I’m constantly thinking about my purpose, where I’m going and if I’m on track, it’s important to me.

I love to talk but I think silence important too, we can discover ourselves in silence. To sit in silence with another can be incredibly powerful. Look into each others eyes and connect as souls.

~

Thanks for the questions Kayla, now for my passion plan 🙂

lizalizaskysaregrey©2017

Daily Prompt: Passionate

lizaaitken

I’m passionate about life, I love so much about it.  I think when your passionate about something you put your heart and soul into it, your very existence is connected.

I’m passionate about my family, I would go to the ends of the earth and back to protect my son from harm.  It destroys me inside to see him or anyone of my family suffering.  Having a child is a wonderful experience but you also learn what real fear is, from the moment they are born you know it is your responsibility to protect and love them.  A mothers love is fierce and passionate.

Not everyone feels this love, maybe because they have not experienced it themselves.  I have spent many years working with young people traumatised by early experiences, damaged by the very people who were supposed to love and care for them.  I have been passionate in that I want them to have the very best care that leads to their recovery  from trauma.  I believe and want for these young people to have the best lives possible and reach their full potential.  I have been outspoken at times and ruffled some feathers but I have got results.

My life changes, I don’t work as much and my son has grown and flown the nest but my passion continues along different avenues.  Today I am passionate about love, kindness  and the world we live in, just being a good person.   As you probably know if you follow my blog, I love nature and taking photos on my phone. Funny how all of a sudden I’ve noticed the world around me and how beautiful it is.

I’m also passionate about writing, I want to keep at it, improve, share a message and learn  🙂

 

via Daily Prompt: Passionate

The Receptionist

lizaaitken

The receptionist hated her job with every atom in her body.  She hated the dreariness of the days, the sadness of the people who used the service and the total disinterest of the people who were supposed to be providing it.  It was a joke that the organization she worked for supposedly provided therapeutic services in the community.  If anyone needed therapy around here, it was her.

She was tied to the horrid job though, and probably for all eternity.  The rent needed to be paid and the credit card bills wouldn’t go away and she really needed those holidays to warm her bones.  If only she had chosen anther direction when she was at school, not hung out around the bike sheds smoking with the boys and stuck her nose in a book instead.

What else could she do she wondered for the fifty-millionth time.  She had made many of those life decision lists that were recommended on the internet, she liked baking cakes, but everyone could bake cakes, she liked to dance (poorly), she liked to cook, she liked animals, what was clear was that she liked nothing that would ever make her any money.  There must surely be something she hadn’t thought of, she just needed to find it.

Travelling to work this morning on the train, with the same blank faces she saw every day she again realised she was dying.  Not dying from a terminal illness or anything, just dying a little bit more everyday in her boring job.  The same old monotony, day in, day out, the rest of her life.  What did her life, as she was leading it have to say for itself, what did it say about her.

She checked her purse to make sure she had the lottery ticket, it was the only way out of here at the moment, that is until her prince comes along if he ever realises she is waiting.

She prayed again to St Jude, saint of hopeless causes to take pity on her.  Then, to be extra sure to St Anthony, the finder of things, to find her a way out of here, hopefully to somewhere warm and St Christopher who might help with that too.

Who else was there up there that could possibly help?  She thought of Arch Angel Michael, he had influence she had heard, she would give him a try, but how, she would need to look that one up.  She opened a browser and typed in his name finding a list of sites dedicated to him immediately.  It appeared all you needed to do was ask him to be by your side, help with negativity and believe he was there.  You could also ask him for a physical sign on earth, so you would know he was there. It was surely worth a go, she would give it a try, what did she have to loose.

The receptionist closed her eyes and followed the instructions carefully.  ‘Dear Arch Angel Michael, could you help me see my way, be with me, protect me and show me a sign that you can hear this’.  Just as she was getting in the flow of the conversation with Michael the door buzzer went off.  She pressed the intercom to enquire who was there.  ‘ Stationary delivery’, she pressed the button to release the door and let the delivery guy in to the building.

A young guy, actually a very nice looking young guy entered the reception area carrying a delivery note.  He was wearing a colbolt blue T-shirt with a company logo of what looked like a sword across the chest.  She directed him to the stationary office and went back to her desk.

A pile of letters needed to be put into envelopes and posted, she had better get on with it before lunch.  She could then head off early to the post office before going to the café in the park.  She looked up as the stationary delivery guy left the building with a wave in her direction.

At the park, she got her sandwich from the café and headed for a bench by the lake.  The sun was shining and it cast a bright glow across the water that seemed to stop just short of the bench.  As she sat, she noticed a single feather, white and fluffy and new.  She picked it up, held it aloft and then gently let it fall to the ground, watching as it span in the summer breeze.

‘Mind if I sit here’? enquired a voice, a nice, soft and gentle voice.  She looked up to see the delivery guy, sandwich in hand standing by her bench.  She smiled and moved along to make room.  She wasn’t so sure she was hungry for the egg mayonnaise sandwich now, maybe it would be best to save it for later where she didn’t have to worry about it falling down her chin.

Heading back to work after lunch, she thought about Mike.  New to town, single and drop dead gorgeous.  He was working at the stationary company as a stopgap to save for the trip around the world he intended to do with his camera.  He was an aspiring photographer and had recently been displayed in a local gallery.   He would be back on Monday with the remainder of the delivery, she must remember to wear her new shoes, and Monday couldn’t come soon enough, maybe this place wasn’t so bad.  She picked the delivery note up from the in tray she had left it earlier, ready now to unpack the boxes.  The piece of paper in her hand read Michaels’ Stationary Supplies and just below showed the delivery of a box of Arch Lever Files.

What was the name of that angel she had been talking to earlier?