Woman in Motion

The movie St. Elmo’s Fire has intrigued me since I was a teenager. Part of the draw was Georgetown University. I never went to school there; however, I did live in the Washington, DC area and got to drive past it often…such a majestic view from the Potomac River!

And then there was that catchy tune, Man in Motion:

“I can see a new horizon, underneath the blazin’ sky. I’ll be where the eagle’s flyin’ higher and higher. Gonna be a man in motion. All I need is a pair of wheels. Take me where my future’s lyin’, St. Elmo’s Fire!”

What fascinated me most about this movie was the group of friends who seemed so close. Since seeing the movie, I longed for my own tight-knit community. I went decades without one…and then I found it. Since 2011, the “Bubble” (as we call ourselves) has gotten together for long weekends every year, except during the start of the pandemic last year. With the foundation of our teenage years together in Sri Lanka and our shared experiences over the past ten years, we have become like family.

The Bubble is getting together again this month in Europe. I’m the only one who travels a long distance to join, and I’ve never minded the journey…until now. With COVID-19 restrictions and extra travel requirements, the trip seems daunting. It is not in my nature to complain, and I remind myself of that as I fill out multiple country passenger forms asking about any COVID-19 symptoms and think about wearing a mask for hours on end …yet I am complaining.

Life constantly offers lessons for my daily practice of leadership. Reframing is one of them and so are the words from a Chinese proverb, “The journey is the reward”. While I haven’t traveled long-distance in two years, I’m going to be a (wo)man in motion. Yes, that song is now stuck in my head…in yours too, perhaps? I’m appreciating the chance to travel and see my friends again.

Movement is progress and I’m paving a path once again. My destinations will be awesome: Spain, Greece, Czech Republic, and Germany; yet it almost doesn’t matter where I land. I get to enjoy my journey and be in community with the Bubble!

“Just once in his life, a man has his time. And my time is now, I’m coming alive!” – more lyrics from Man in Motion

This Week’s Challenge: Identify something you may be complaining about or resisting doing. Ask yourself, what good can I find in it? Then give thanks for having that in your life…because it is what it is; why be resentful when you can be grateful?