I was chatting with a friend the other day. She had come to collect her daughter who was playing with my kid, whilst her mum was packing.
My friend was talking about all the things she’d forgotten to put on her packing list, but had remembered to pack anyways (I wonder if she then added them to her list? I know I would have!)
She was super excited about going away, but at the same time, a little anxious about everything she felt that had to be done before the holiday started.
Our conversation went like this:
Me: S’all good I said, so long as you have your travel documents, your money and your phone, you can buy everything else.
Her: Mmmmm, true, but I need to get the house cleaned, she replied.
Me: Really? You’re only gone a week. It won’t matter too much
Her: But I have too. It’s always better to come back to a bleached loo. When we went on holidays as a child, my mum would make sure that the house was scrubbed from top to bottom before we left. She’d be frazzled, shouting at us for using the downstairs toilet because she’d already scrubbed it.
And then the penny dropped, she wasn’t running around because she needed to, she was running around because that’s what she thought she was supposed to do. The frenetic cleaning and worry was historically the preholiday ritual she had experienced as a child – it was almost a PART of the holiday.
Isn’t it interesting the things we do without recognising the stories behind them?
If you’d like to explore how old stories and patterns are holding you in their thrall and creating wonky patterns in your life, you may be interested in my Slink offering. It’s a six month combination of work for your body and work for your mind so you can set down the old gunky thoughts and tired body situations you’re experiencing and step into a life that feels a little more playful and fun.
Big love,
Carrie
Looking for an easy, pool side read? Try Hot Mess Alchemist available in paperback and kindle from Amazon
