joen toiselle puolelle - to the other side of the river

Life has a way of finding its own way. Since my last post, almost three years have passed. I got a full-time job and gave up my business. I finished writing a book, sent it out to an agent and a publisher, none of whom has replied yet. We bought a cottage by a small lake, not too far away from Joensuu, and I sang a lot of Karaoke. 

Now the full-time job has almost run its course and I am thinking of getting into business again. Not right now, I'm on sick leave and just got out of bed. But sometime in March or April, once the full-time job is officially over and my mind cleared. Transitions need to be given time and space.

What are you going to do, people ask me. Well, I would like to work as a Death doula.  Death Doula?! What's that? It's someone who sits with people who are dying. Or with those who are grieving. Or with those who want to talk about life and death. 

The idea sprung on me last year, I was on sick leave for 2 months. Nothing physical, more on the mentally stressed and overwhelmed side and I realised that the job I was doing, wasn't good for me.  I realised that my brain is not cut out for constant input without any time for reflection and depth. 

So I lay on my sofa and just was. And then I talked to someone and the word "deathdoula" was uttered, and I sat up and asked "what?" Death doula, she said, what's that, I asked, and the rest is history, because I went through a training and am now certified and just want to be of service to people who are facing death. It doesn't matter, from which side, because we all are going there at some point.

Being a death doula is all about acceptance and not being able to change the outcome.
Life is all about acceptance, the only difference is that sometimes I can change the outcome. But if I can't, I go into acceptance. It's all about acceptance. Accepting people and their feelings, thoughts and opinions as they are. As a Deathdoula, I create and hold space. I just sit and listen. And if the client has nothing to say, I just sit and am with them. From One Human Being to another Human Being. 

Life is all about endings and beginnings. People, jobs, hobbies, houses, pets - they come and go. What  can we hold on to, in this stream of life? What are you holding on to, to keep you going? What have you let go? What would you like to let go? What, if anything, keeps you from doing so?

Those are some of the questions I think, are worth considering during a lifetime. There are many more, and it could well be, that I explore them here. More will be revealed. 

So I let go of my business "Holistication". I still believe in the idea of holistic adult education, but it wasn't the right time for that business to flourish. I learned a lot at the time and have moved on. It's time for something new, to the other side of the river, joen toiselle puolelle. Will it be an independent business, or will someone employ me to provide my services? Time will tell.  Everything comes together in its own time. Life has a way of finding its way. 

Thanks for reading. Have a good day. Pia