It has been a while since my last correspondence with you and it felt like the time was right to connect with you again.

A brief health update…I finished radiation treatments near the end of October.  I came through the treatments very well and have been feeling very strong and healthy both during the treatments and afterward.  I have had tremendous support from friends and family – some of my friends actually drove me to my radiation treatments every day, saving me the stress of driving and parking and providing a very joyful distraction from the task at hand!  I have been taking the time since to allow my body to rest and heal, not pushing myself to get back to “being productive” and giving my spirit time to sort out what’s next for me.

Not pushing myself to get back in the “game” has been very challenging for me.  The name of my business is Get It Dunn (does that give you any clues as to my drive?!).  Working, producing, striving, reaching….these are common activities and inner pulls for me and to let them go has been like cutting off my right arm…who am I if I am not producing and what (if anything) do I need to be doing? There have been no immediate answers to these two questions, just glimpses and inklings that I am learning to trust.  One thing I am learning is that there is a definite need for this space and time – for this permission to stop.  My mentor likens this phase to the concept of summer fallow – the practice in farming when a field is not sown with grain for a period of time to allow it to recover and rejuvenate.  When the field is put back to use after this resting time, it is usually more productive.  I don’t know if I will be more productive (or if I need to be more productive) but I do know that I am being called to stay in this place of rest and limbo and my body reminds me of this call when I forget and start pushing myself again.

I share this with you with the hopes that you may also listen to the call of your heart and body to take some time to rest or slow down.  We are in the season of fall – a time for letting go and slowing down.  We are also nearing the end of the year and it is a good time to slow down and reflect.  Every year I ask my clients to take the time to look back on their year to make a note of their accomplishments, their challenges and their blessings. I would encourage you to do the same. What was your theme for this past year?  How did it play out through your year?  In what ways did it support you and guide you in your decisions and activities?  How long did you remember you had a theme before it was forgotten?!!  My theme for 2013 was Play and I couldn’t be more grateful for having chosen this theme.  When I got the cancer diagnosis, there was an opportunity to abandon the theme, as you might well imagine.  I didn’t and it was one of the ways that I was able to move through this difficult time with some grace, lightness and even joy.

Take some time for yourself, do some reflecting, allow yourself to rest more than you normally would right now and notice how amazing your life is and has been.  Play with ideas for your theme for 2014 but most of all be present to yourself and what you need and the gifts you receive will be astounding!

Enjoy this last part of 2013 and I will look forward to connecting with you in 2014!