I'm still feeling pretty good about that last post I wrote where I divulge what I think is my why but I'm sticking with the course and trusting the process.
I'm at the part now where I'm doing the Life Stories Exercise which is almost exactly the same as the work stories exercise except that in this exercise I need to focus on whatever it is I do/have done outside of work - both the very positives and the very negatives. After the +5s and the -5s are pinned to the board, I examine the feelings associated with those events.
Many more examples came much quicker for me this time with the life stories than they did with the work stories. I haven't thought about what that means yet but I'm sure it says something. As with the work stories, the positives greatly out numbered the negatives but to trust the process I made myself identify 3 horrible non-work related experiences which were: funerals (especially my friend Janice's death), my 1st marriage/1st divorce, and laundry (especially doing laundry but also putting laundry away).
Of course, I'd rather do laundry than suffer the loss of a dear friend or live the life of a failing marriage and subsequent divorce. But the feelings are quite the same - which is the beauty of this course: after you pin these little suckers to your "life stories board" you then look at each one individually and remember your feelings as the event was unfolding.
Surprisingly, the feelings I felt as I experienced these three separate events are exactly the first 4 stages of Kubler-Ross' stages of grief:
- Denial. This isn't happening.
- Anger. HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?! DAMMIT!
- Bargaining. Hmmm. Maybe, this won't happen if I ...
- Depression. Well, crap. This sucks. Why bother?
I would also add: helplessness, boredom, and longing.
I'm not at the point where I'm ready to do a deep dive into the meaning of all this but perhaps you can share some interpretations on this and maybe you can also answer the question, "What is your laundry and why?"
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