J. S. Curtis Coaching
personal coaching for powerful change
  • About
    • About Me >
      • My Story
    • Inspiration
  • Services
    • Coaching >
      • Coaching through Transitions
      • Anchored and Adept in Uncertain Times
      • Magic and Meaning in Mid-Life
      • FAQ
      • Logistics
    • Workshops
    • Facilitation
    • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Subscribe

The Woodpecker

1/23/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
I was hiking in the woods at the end of last week on a cold and crisp morning. It was lovely and cold, and the only noise was the crunch of snow under my boots.

I was trying to quiet my mind. Letting my thoughts fall wordlessly onto the trail instead of grabbing them up and examining them or stuffing them into the filing system of my brain.


It had been a busy week with some deadlines approaching, some tricky interpersonal dynamics to process, some last minute scrambling and a winter storm approaching that would impact our plans for the weekend and require flexibility of mind.


So, I headed for the woods on a cold Thursday morning. Hiking up the trail, I let myself be wrapped into the presence of the tall trees, standing like sentinel along the path. It’s a trail that I had hiked just a few days earlier. And I recognized my own footprints as I went along.


The silence was soothing. The forest was as quiet as the little rabbit prints I spied on the side of the trail.


Warmed by the exertion, I climbed the path. I imagined each thought slipping out and onto the snow, to be left there to freeze rather than grasped and endlessly examined or chased like an unwinding skein of yarn.


As my mind quieted, I became more present. Present to my breath, to my footfalls, to the winter smell of snow and pine. With presence, time slows.


I looked at the boot imprints on the trail ahead that announced that I had come this way before.


Or perhaps they were made by the part of me that had gone on ahead, the part of me that was already around the bend and ready for whatever task was to be asked of me.


I stopped at the sudden sound of a woodpecker nearby. The sound reverberated through the trees with a sharp hollowness, and I thought of the line from Mary Oliver’s poem Wild Geese
: “...announcing your place/in the family of things.”


As if this woodpecker were announcing his own place here in this world.


And I thought, “Yes, this. This is what I want for myself and for my family, for my friends and for my clients.


That we might all hear that sound arising from our own hearts, claiming our stake in this world, setting our feet upon the path that leads us home to ourselves.


I am sure there is a part of each of us that has already gone on ahead and knows what needs to be done when the time comes.



What comes into your awareness here? What does presence offer you in this moment?


Picture
​Jessica Curtis is a professional coach who helps people cultivate intention and live from a place of meaning and authenticity. If you think you could benefit from working with Jessica or want to invite her to work with your group, reach out to start a conversation.
​
Sign-up to receive my newsletter and blog to your Inbox:
Subscribe
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    Categories

    All
    Awe
    Balance
    Beginning
    Belonging
    Coloring
    Creativity
    Cycles
    Embodiment
    Fulfillment
    Geography
    Good Enough
    Gratitude
    Honesty
    Hope
    Intention
    Letting Go
    Living Space
    Loss
    Milestones
    Mindfulness
    Mortality
    Moving Forward
    Nature
    New Year
    Noticing
    Parenting
    Personal Growth
    Perspectives
    Practice
    Presence
    Questions
    Resilience
    Self Care
    Self Compassion
    Self-Compassion
    Simplicity
    Solitude
    Stillness
    Transitions
    Values
    Vulnerability
    Yoga Practice
    Zen

    RSS Feed

    Author

    Jessica Curtis is a coach, a writer and a spiritual seeker.

    I work with individuals wanting to dive deeper into their lives, to cultivate balance, foster self-awareness and nurture their souls.

    Through this blog, I invite you to explore and be curious: What are you learning about yourself? about your journey? 

    Contact me - I would love to chat with you about where you are now and where you would like to be.

Email:
[email protected]​

Phone:
​774-545-6659


​​​Jessica S. Curtis, M.Ed., CPCC, PCC

Picture
Picture
Copyright © 2020