Time to look at things from a different perspective

Hi there and welcome to my first card of the week post. This is something I do on a Sunday afternoon while everyone else is busy cramming in activities into the last few hours of freedom before the working week begins. It helps me focus on a particular aspect of life in the forthcoming week. This week’s card is The Hanged Man.

It’s not as horrible as it sounds. As you can see, he’s not swinging by his neck from a noose! He’s calmly chilling out, upside down, suspended by his right leg while holding an elegant balletic pose with his left leg. His face seems peaceful and serene. He could be practicing yoga! Looks fun to me… at least for a while, and only as long as my boobs don’t end up around my nose!

I get the feeling that this card is advising the beholder to pause, chill out and look at life’s issues from an alternative perspective. From my own point of view I have a couple of work and personal things to deal with this week, which are what they are, potentially problematic. The only thing that will change is how I approach each one… so I’ll try to see things from a different point of view… quite literally!

On the work front, I have the possibility to be involved in a massive project which will involve a variety of teams working together. In principle, everyone has agreed that the budget is there (that’s always the first deal-breaker) and that the work can be done (second test passed). Now we come to the sticky bit. The ‘when’. I want it to happen this year – second half of the year would be ideal for my team and our customers. However (whenever I see the word ‘however’ it’s usually followed by things that may derail my plans), the team who will carry out the actual technical wizardry, have so much already planned in this year, that unless we can convince the executive board to champion the cause, we will not see work begin until the second half of next year!

Nooooo! I don’t want to wait that long! I almost feel like stamping my feet in a fit of pique! Not a good move in the workplace, and certainly not the way round the delay. Time to look at my options. I could accept the timeline for 2022 and use the gap to complete all the training courses associated with the project so I’m up to speed when we go live. Notice I’m still thinking in the positive – that this project will happen! I could also ask my boss to do battle for me, to speak to board members to see if there’s an appetite for this project to be brough forward to this year. Let’s see how this plays out this week.

On the personal front, my Dad and I seem to be working to different expectations regarding keeping in regular contact. He’s never been a particularly chatty person, but he’s the only parent I have left and I’d like a bit more than forwarding funny emails to me that he receives from friends or the occasional ‘thumbs up’ emoji in our group chat with my sister! The noncommunication drives me and my sister bonkers with frustration.

The Hanged Man reminds me that in this situation my expectations with Dad are simply too much for him. I have to change my approach before I’m totally driven round the twist! When I think about it from Dad’s perspective, he was brought up in a time when men went to work, women stayed at home and did all the parenting. To expect him to change the habit of a lifetime is just daft and unrealistic. As my Headspace app reminded me this morning, when you compare what you have with what you wish you had, you can end up feeling dissatisfied and unhappy. The way to change this is to stop the comparison and be content with what is. It may not be what I want but I still have contact, and he does occasionally join in the group video chats when he’s in the mood.

And there you have it, my take on how the Hanged Man is showing up in my life this week. If you draw a card of the week or the day, feel free to share how it works out for you.

Until next Monday – stay safe and well.

Julie