Recharge your relationships - the lasting power of true friendship

Recharge your relationships - the lasting power of true friendship

Happy New Year!

There is nothing like a New Year to bring your life into perspective and celebrate and be grateful for what you have and where you are going! For some of us though that's where it begins and ends.

I'm determined that this year will be different for many. My hope for you all is that this year and the years to come are filled with perspective, gratitude and celebration throughout the whole year.

The new year holds great possibilities for each and every one of us. It's our responsibility to act and take hold of all that is gifted to us, to realise it's place in the world and give thanks and celebrate it.

For me, 2020 signifies a year of reaching for the stars, more than ever before, stepping up and stepping out to enable others to do the same and I know that without the power of friendships and in particular the sisterhood that surrounds me, possibilities will stay exactly that-possibilities. 

I'm packing ready to head away for a girls trip this weekend. I have to admit I'm very excited for the possibilities that will be uncovered and the path to realise them that will unfold as we energise one another from what's possible to confidently stepping out to make it happen!

It's been a long time since I last spent time away from day to day life to be with a group of girls. I get away with the family a few times a year, which is great and very important to me,  however I got a taste of the power I'd been missing on a recent overnight trip to Brisbane for a Womens Network Australia event.  There's a different and very needed purpose when I get together with other women.

My whole being was electrified from the energy that radiated from those that I was with. Each of us with different stories, different reasons for being there and each with a different purpose or desire they wished to realise, yet at that moment it became very clear to me that we are not all that different after all. We bonded through our hearts and as I had very open and meaningful conversations, that meaning transported me to a place where each and everyone of our hearts' purpose ultimately lead to one outcome . There was a unity like no other, a heart to heart unity that when magnified opens up incredible opportunities for a collective power that when harnessed will have a profound impact.

This power is something I will champion in 2020 and beyond.

I think back to the last time I packed and headed away with the girls. Even though it was 7 years ago, I know, waaay too long,  I remember it well. 5 of us headed to Bruny Island for a couple of nights. Each of us were responsible for a recipe and the ingredients to a meal that we then all cooked together, as we reconnected and revealed more of ourselves to each other. Walks along the beach, Tai Chi on the lawn, sitting and allowing the sun to bath us and the sounds of nature to enthrall us. Heart to heart conversations about nurturing ourselves, enlightening and healing the world. It was pure and it was energising and empowering! We learnt a little more about each other, our experiences in life. I really love how we get to experience life through others' eyes, it expands my humaneness and allows me to grow in my awareness of others and as an effective member of our community. As a mother I get to see that everyday through my children, seeing the enchantment in their eyes is a magic and wondrous display. Equally as joyful and in my view just as necessary is the solace I find being with a group of women, seeing things through their eyes, creating together and celebrating being a woman.

Past generations were aware of the power I speak of, even if it was unconsciously. Some cultures still acknowledge it. That time of the day or week when the women in the village came together to wash, to collect herbs or fruit, to create with shells or rocks or reeds, to allow the children to play and explore. It's how we are nurtured, grow and expand.

If I think back to my childhood, and I was a lucky one who has a sister, my sister was an important constant in my life. Chris is older than me and with that came a nurturing and a wisdom that I am so fortunate to have had. Chris became a confidant, a keeper and a friend to me. There was something really special that I shared with her that was different to that of my brothers and my parents. We are sisters.
My childhood friends too, sure I knocked around with boys as well, most of my neighbours were boys, so I was frequently riding bikes or bushwalking with them, however there were particular friends, some came and went as I changed schools, that were like sisters. We hung out almost constantly, came and went from each others houses and got to know our families quite well. Some are still very close and we've been able to share even more as we became partners, mothers and forged paths for ourselves. We shared everything, good or bad and experienced a closeness that enriched our development and shaped us into the adults we are.

Where would I be were it not for my girlfriends, my sisters in life? I surmise, not half the person that I am, and certainly not with anywhere near the awareness, experience, confidence or passion that I have today.

My reflection on this has led me to affirm that there will be more, more time, sharing, imagining, creating and bonding with the women in my life and by harnessing the power, the exuberant power that will radiate from such gatherings as a united powerhouse we will bring something truly wonderful to the world.

To me as a woman, the energy I experience being amongst like hearted women has lasting power. The energy that has lasting power is your friends. Treasure them, be with them and together be empowered. 

I wish you a happy new year, may 2020 bring all that you imagine and act on. May you always experience love and be surrounded by all that brings you joy.

Alison xx