I met Anne Maire four years ago when we were both students of QTT.
Since then we have been practice buddies, shared walks, lunch laughter, and a retreat.
We have all found ourselves in an unexpected place or situation over the past two years. Things we never thought could happen or experiences we never thought would happen to us.
I never considered myself the mothering type, never really had a desire to have children and was perfectly fine with that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a very cool Aunty, and proud of the relationship I have all the little people (some not so little anymore) in my ‘family and friends’ circle. Somehow last year I found myself working as a ‘matron’ at a girls’ boarding school. Even the word ‘matron’ gives me the jitters.
Suddenly surrounded by thirty teenage girls aged between sixteen and eighteen I had far more compassion and understanding for those family and friends who have reared or are in the process of rearing teenage girls - the moods, the foibles, the death stares, the stubbornness, not to mention bedtime and the sensation that you are trying to herd kittens to stay in bed, turn their lights out and get some much needed sleep while they prefer to visit each other’s rooms and chat till midnight.
I anticipated some of this remembering my own teenage experiences and how catty some girls can be I was on alert to not take anything personally. Of course, there have been ‘moments’, of course they have been challenges, and challengers. There has also been a lot of laughs getting to know them during the past school terms and see them support each other, particularly in the current frustrating Covid environment.
As a QTT Practitioner, and Reiki Master there is very little I haven’t already heard from working with clients, no stressful situation, limiting belief or pattern that hasn’t come up for healing. I am always amazed to see how people cope or have coped with their personal crises and how resilient they can be. The same can definitely be said for these young women navigating their way through the last two years of school with all the pressures of exams, peer pressure, family expectations and ever-changing health conditions.
All very new and unexpected from what they were led to believe their late teenage years would be. Would my / our generation have been able to deal with this? We can tell stories of how difficult things were ‘in our time’, ‘we had it tougher’ etc; and maybe things were simpler, less complicated and we were more innocent, who knows.
And going from looking after just myself to tendering to teenage girls, I then find myself with three little fur beings in need of attention – I am looking after my friend’s pets – two dogs and a cat. I know these animals well and their particular habits; one of the dogs likes to have her arse scratched, while the other likes to chew on golf balls, while the cat will sneak up on you in the middle of the night and breathe heavily on your face.
The terrier is hyper vigilant which can be great and grating all at the same time, and the boxer could whither the Botanical Gardens with one of her farts. Also the cat, if not getting enough attention will sit in front of you delivering a death stare any teenage girl would be proud of.
Deep breaths, practicing gratitude, grounding, and plenty of water – all the simple ways I still use to remind myself not to sweat the small stuff, no matter what situation I find myself in. This too shall pass, as the saying goes. So, whatever unexpected place, conversation, encounter you find yourself in this week, month or year, be kind and patient with yourself and others. We are all navigating the expected.
Anne Maire Callaghan is a QTT Practitioner and Reiki Master with over 10 years’ experience helping clients release and heal to make meaningful change in their lives.