Reason, Season, Lifetime
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.
When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realise is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.
Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
— Unknown
I read this on Facebook recently, but have heard it in conversation in the past few months. As I wrap up over 4 years of work at Back2Health, so many emotions keep running through my head – and this poem comes at a very apt time. I’ve always had difficulty in letting things go – I remember balling my eyes out in grade 7 when we all parted for different high schools. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I hugged pretty much every person in the grade, promising we would still see each other every Friday afternoon at the Indooroopilly food court, and belting out the words to Friends Forever.

A familiar and welcoming corridor – Queenslander from the outside, oasis on the inside.
I always find break-up/end-of-year parties hard – I don’t like saying goodbye, and want to hold onto everything and everyone. The same thing is happening now – a hesitancy in leaving what I know and what’s comfortable. In Ayurveda this is a very kapha quality. Dr David Frawley writes in his book Ayurveda and the Mind:
‘They like to belong, to be part of a group, and seldom rebel. They are good followers and prefer to work in association. They are content and accept things as they are. They are stable but sometimes stagnate. They do not like to change and find change difficult, even when they want to. They are friendly, particularly with people they know, and hold closely to their families.’
Parts of this explain me to a T. But sometimes life forces you to change – and whether you like it or not, it’s going to happen! And from the advice of others – it’s better to embrace this change than to resist it.

Butterflies are a beautiful byproduct of change.. if they can do it, maybe so can I.
Four years in one workplace is a long time (at least for me!), and it’s grown to be a big part of my life. The team that I work with, the clients I treat – everything has become so familiar and comfortable. While each exchange with clients is completely different – from a logistical point of view there’s definitely an element of familiarity – stable place of work, stable client base, and people know me! With identity comes a sense of ego… and letting go of work and clients, means letting go of the fact that I will be someone to help them on their wellness journey. I know this is not the only way to look at the situation – but I can’t help dwell on this as I try to understand why it is so difficult for me to leave or move on. This is not the only reason, but digging deeper, I can understand that it definitely has a role to play in how I’m feeling.
Reading the words on Reason, Season or Lifetime has definitely helped me to understand why I can’t be close to everyone, all the time. Each person has a role to play in my life – some more long term than others, and I need to be OK with that. Embrace the moments we have together, and hold the memories close to my heart – that’s the best I can do. And I guess that’s the nature of this world – nothing is permanent – and the faster we learn to deal with it’s temporary nature, the easier it will be for us to face whatever the world throws at us. The words of the Bhagavad Gita shed some light on this:
O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. (BG 2.14)
That being said – modern technology enables us to stay in touch with those who may only enter our lives for a short period of time. And I plan to take full advantage of that! While I may write of letting go, I don’t think I’ve got the handle on applying it so well. I’m still a kapha and still want to keep my connections close. So hopefully I can have my cake and eat it too! Assisting people on their Ayurveda journey from the other side of the pond – and if you ever cross it, my doors are always open to you!
So here’s to pushing out of my kapha zone, embracing change, and enabling others from a distance!
As one chapter ends, I’m writing the outline for the next one – a month of learning cooking from my mum! Learning traditional Indian dishes, some not-so-traditional dishes and maybe a little bit of experimenting!