‘We can all FLY as HIGH as the DREAMS we dare to live unless we are a chicken.’ Edward Monkton has a knack of designing philosophical words of wisdom for his collection of greeting cards.
Hmmm, DEEP THOUGHT was the tag line on top of the card, with a child like hand drawn picture of a chicken with flightless wings, and a voice bubble coming out of the chicken’s mouth saying ‘shit!’
This particular ‘Edward Monkton’ card was given to me by a friend in 2004 whilst I was going through some big changes. A card of encouragement and support whilst I was about to leave London, and go to work in India for several months leaving behind friends and family. I had never been to India, and was curious how far my cultural training would get me, hanging onto the hope that my travels to many places would get me through. It was at this time I had to go into hospital for an operation. Another change I had not planned for. I was determined I was going to finish what I had started, and work in India. Little did I know at the time that I would keep the card, and it would become an icon placed upon my notice board above my desk for all those times change was about to happen, and I was feeling like a chicken with no wings, saying ‘shit’.
Today, I have read that card to remind myself the past five years have delivered many changes I had no plan of making. I went through many lessons of humility whilst I worked out what it was I wanted to do with my life, and finding happiness again. I had lost my ‘mojo’, and meaning. Faced with the reality I had to start setting goals of what I wanted to do, and further develop.
After much deliberation I found myself selling the house in London, saying good bye to close friends and family, and on a plane with a container of house hold possessions to start a new chapter back in South Africa. The South Africa I had left 10 years before, thinking I would never be back. Life gives us lessons to learn from, and it was exciting not knowing what would happen on the other side. I had registered to study again, and I began the process and hard work that it requires to focus on being an ‘adult’ student. The emotions I went through, and the questions so many times of self doubt had I done the right thing? There was no right or wrong answer. I had made a choice, and always when there is a choice there is a consequence; positive or negative or both.
Once again, I sit at the cross roads of change, and think how can I best use my skills to go in another direction. The difference today is I am not defined by a job title. My job title is just a part of what I choose to do; I am not the job title. Knowing that change is always going to happen in life, and at times I have no control over the outcome; I can at least take steps (small or big) to make the changes I would like.
I am faced with making career choices again, and I know that is okay. It will happen as it is meant to be. I am where I am right now, as I take more steps in the right direction.