Shownotes
This heartfelt solo episode delves into the profound reasons why people come into our lives, exploring whether these connections are meant for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Linda reflects on a meaningful encounter with fellow travelers which sparked deeper thought about life’s transient relationships.
You'll Learn:
- How to identify if a relationship is for a reason, a season, or a lifetime, and the lessons each can bring.
- The importance of mindfulness, healthy boundaries, and self-awareness in navigating relationships and transitions.
- Ways to find joy, meaning, and growth in the natural ebb and flow of connections in your life.
Linda beautifully weaves personal stories, poetry, and wisdom into this episode, offering a reflective space to honour the people who shape our journeys. From fleeting encounters to lifelong bonds, this conversation encourages you to embrace the impermanence of life with grace and gratitude.
Linda also shares details about her upcoming retreat in Samara, Costa Rica, in March 2025, where participants will nourish their body, mind, and spirit while connecting with nature in a Blue Zone for health and vitality.
Listen now to explore the gifts of connection, impermanence, and the seasons of life.
Linda's Website https://www.globalwellnesseducation.com/
Sámara, Costa Rica Retreat: March 22-29, 2025
About Linda:
Have you ever battled overwhelming anxiety, fear, self-limiting beliefs, soul fatigue or stress? It can leave you feeling so lonely and helpless. We’ve all been taught how to be courageous when we face physical threats but when it comes to matters of the heart and soul we are often left to learn, "the hard way."
As a school teacher for over 30+ years, struggling with these very issues, my doctor suggested anti-anxiety medication but that didn't resonate with me so I sought the healing arts. I expanding my teaching skills and became a yoga, meditation, mindfulness, reiki and sound healer to step into my power and own my impact.
A Call for Love will teach you how to find the courage to hold space for your fears and tears. To learn how to love and respect yourself and others more deeply.
My mission is to guide you on your journey. I believe we can help transform the world around us by choosing love. If you don’t love yourself, how can you love anyone else? Join a call for love.
Website - Global Wellness Education
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Transcripts
Welcome to a new episode. It's a sunny day, but
Speaker:it is cold outside, and it reminds me of
Speaker:seasons. And today's episode is
Speaker:about why people come into our lives.
Speaker:Is it for a reason, a season, or a
Speaker:lifetime? And that's what I wanna talk to you about today, especially
Speaker:as I record this. It is December and it is
Speaker:approaching the end of the year and a new season. And
Speaker:so the theme is how people come into our
Speaker:lives, and why is it maybe just for a reason, a
Speaker:season, or possibly even a lifetime?
Speaker:And the catalyst for this discussion is
Speaker:actually really interesting because I had flown with
Speaker:my husband to Antigua. We went on a holiday. And
Speaker:I had chosen the middle seat because my husband wanted
Speaker:the aisle. And so the window seat was vacant,
Speaker:and we're waiting, waiting, secretly hoping, I guess,
Speaker:that no one would sit there so we'd have some space. But
Speaker:then, of course, this lovely lady came to sit down beside me,
Speaker:and we got to talking. And it just blew our
Speaker:mind. Her name is Christine, and she's from Syria
Speaker:but has moved to Nova Scotia. And she was bringing
Speaker:a friend to Antigua who did not speak English.
Speaker:Her friend was sitting behind us, and, actually, there's supposed to be a gentleman
Speaker:sitting beside us, but they had switched seats. And
Speaker:so lo and behold, sometimes I just think it's wonderful
Speaker:divine intervention that she sat beside me.
Speaker:We had everything in common. It was fantastic. We had
Speaker:great discussions. I had this one crochet
Speaker:project that I always keep for travelling, and so I
Speaker:dug it out. But I haven't travelled in a while, and so I
Speaker:was lost how to do it. And lo and behold, she was
Speaker:like what I would call a professional crocheter. So we had
Speaker:this fantastic discussion. She was into
Speaker:wellness, and I was sharing this podcast with her, and it
Speaker:was really just friendship from the instant.
Speaker:5 and a half hours I don't even think we took
Speaker:a break at talking. It was just like I'd always known
Speaker:her. Now this brings up the whole
Speaker:theme of today. Are we meeting people for a
Speaker:reason, a season, or a lifetime? Now she is living in
Speaker:Nova Scotia, and I'm in the Toronto area
Speaker:of Ontario, Canada. So I'm not sure if we're going to be
Speaker:able to see each other again. So what is the reason?
Speaker:The reason is, wow, what an enjoyable flight.
Speaker:I got to learn things. She, had a restaurant in Syria.
Speaker:In fact, they moved to Canada 1 week
Speaker:before COVID shut down everything.
Speaker:To hear her story, you know, I have my story. Everyone
Speaker:has their story of the shutdown of COVID. But to sh hear it
Speaker:from her lens was just so, so interesting.
Speaker:And so that's why I would like to share with you, it brings to
Speaker:mind how people come into our lives.
Speaker:Now there is a poem about this and the different
Speaker:roles people play in our lives. Actually, I
Speaker:have a friend, Jackie Conley, who is an Advent A Call for
Speaker:Love listener, and she's come to all my retreats,
Speaker:which reminds me, I will be hosting a retreat
Speaker:in Samara, Costa Rica coming March
Speaker:2025. We are going to be
Speaker:having such a profound experience. My
Speaker:partner, retreat partner, Liz Clay and I are
Speaker:hosting at this beautiful place in Zamora, just
Speaker:minutes from the ocean. There's 6 villas, 10 bedrooms.
Speaker:And so the retreat mantra that we have created,
Speaker:which I just love, is I nourish my body,
Speaker:mind, and spirit, allowing nature to restore my
Speaker:vitality. And so if you're interested in this retreat
Speaker:joining, please check out the website.
Speaker:It will be in the show notes, but you can go to
Speaker:globalwellneseducation.com to
Speaker:retreats. In any case, Jackie brought this
Speaker:up on one of our retreats, this poem, and she she
Speaker:loves this poem. And so today, I'm bringing it to you.
Speaker:You know, I'm not really sure who created this
Speaker:poem. I did some digging, and apparently it's
Speaker:Brian A. Drew Chalker, but
Speaker:there's not much about him. And so I am
Speaker:sharing this, really profound poem with you.
Speaker:I'm gonna break it up into parts. So I'm gonna read the first part,
Speaker:the reason, and then have a little reflection, and then a
Speaker:season, and then we'll dive into, yes, the biggie, the
Speaker:lifetime. So the poem goes like this:
Speaker:People always come into your life for a reason, a
Speaker:season, or a lifetime. When you figure out
Speaker:which it is, you will know what to do for each person.
Speaker:When someone is in your life for a reason, it is usually
Speaker:to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to
Speaker:assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance
Speaker:and support, to aid you physically, emotionally,
Speaker:or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend,
Speaker:and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to
Speaker:be. Then, without wrongdoing
Speaker:on your part or at any inconvenient time,
Speaker:this person will say or do something to bring the
Speaker:relationship to an end. Sometimes they die.
Speaker:Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and
Speaker:force you to take a stand. What we must realize is
Speaker:that our need has been met, our desire
Speaker:fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you
Speaker:send up has been answered, and now it is time to
Speaker:move on. So that's
Speaker:the reason. People come into your life for a reason. It's
Speaker:very interesting how he shares this. I feel
Speaker:that people float in and float
Speaker:out of your life, sometimes more peacefully than others,
Speaker:just like this beautiful woman, Christine, on the
Speaker:flight. It's just like we our souls knew each other,
Speaker:and then and she's gone. Well, that's a very simple
Speaker:reason. It could be just to to inspire me on
Speaker:the on the plane, create a beautiful essence
Speaker:to a vacation that I was going on. Who knows? But it was really,
Speaker:really beautiful. And sometimes, the
Speaker:reason people come into your life is not so pleasant.
Speaker:Maybe there's a lesson that needs to be learned.
Speaker:I know that we often
Speaker:outgrow people because we are growing
Speaker:and maybe they are not growing the same with us,
Speaker:and so they can leave us. It's very interesting
Speaker:that a reason people come into our lives for a reason it could be
Speaker:a short amount of time, or it can be a longer amount of
Speaker:time. When you stop to reflect,
Speaker:it can be very painful to let them go,
Speaker:But life always provides us lessons. And
Speaker:if we can stop, pause, and really
Speaker:reflect, there's probably a lesson in the
Speaker:reason that they came into our lives. I'm sure
Speaker:you as a listener can identify with this so much.
Speaker:And that's when our practices become really invaluable,
Speaker:reaching out to those lifetime friends or
Speaker:connections that we have to help us guide
Speaker:into the reason and to let it go graciously
Speaker:because I feel that we attach. I I cannot speak for
Speaker:everybody, but I know that change is really hard
Speaker:for people. Change is hard for me, that transition.
Speaker:And when somebody comes in your life and you really, really like them or it's
Speaker:really working out for you, but not for them, it ends
Speaker:and vice versa. You know? You might decide it's
Speaker:not healthy for you. I will give another
Speaker:example. As, a guide and teacher,
Speaker:especially in the yoga and meditation realm,
Speaker:not so much coaching, we seem to stay connected
Speaker:for a lot longer, almost forever. But I see
Speaker:people float in and out of my classes.
Speaker:And there was this beautiful woman at the front
Speaker:desk where one of my studios, Faith, and she says, you know, this woman
Speaker:bought a pass just so that she could come to your meditation
Speaker:classes. She says, aren't you happy? Doesn't
Speaker:that bring you joy? And I said, well, you know,
Speaker:no. I said, because she could be
Speaker:here today and gone tomorrow. And if I attach to
Speaker:that, then I'm gonna create suffering because I'm gonna
Speaker:depend on other people liking me or not or
Speaker:liking what I offer or not. And I don't
Speaker:value who I am or I'm trying not to value who I
Speaker:am by in those circumstances. So
Speaker:if somebody is coming into my life for
Speaker:a reason, I try to be the
Speaker:best I can be. Will it resonate
Speaker:with everybody? Absolutely not. As I've said in
Speaker:one of my other podcasts, I'm not everybody's cup of tea, and
Speaker:that's okay. But then it has to work vice versa. You
Speaker:know? If I'm not if somebody else is not my cup of tea or
Speaker:they're not on team Linda, then guess what happens? It's time to
Speaker:move on. So that is a reason. Now
Speaker:the next part is a season and the poem goes like this:
Speaker:When people come into your life for a season, it is because
Speaker:your turn has come to share, grow, or learn.
Speaker:They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
Speaker:They may teach you something you have never done. They usually
Speaker:give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe
Speaker:it. It is real, but only for a season.
Speaker:I really do like this, but I'm not sure I'm a 100%
Speaker:agreement of this because I've had people come into my life
Speaker:for seasons, and it was not always
Speaker:a great season. I said in another podcast, my
Speaker:mom I said to my mom once, I'm having a bad day. And she
Speaker:said bad day. I had bad years,
Speaker:which is so interesting. And I I think that can almost
Speaker:be with the people in our lives if they've come in for a
Speaker:season because, you know, some seasons like summer feel
Speaker:really short, and it's a great experience. And some seasons, if you live
Speaker:in Canada or other places, like winter, it feels very, very
Speaker:long because it's not always smooth.
Speaker:And so noticing that, I do believe
Speaker:it isn't over until it's
Speaker:complete. There is a quote somewhere, out
Speaker:there. I can't remember the exact words, but really the essence
Speaker:is that a situation, and I do
Speaker:believe this, or a person is going to
Speaker:possibly be in your life for a season
Speaker:as until you learn the lesson or until it comes
Speaker:full circle or until you're able to really
Speaker:work through it. And so that's what I
Speaker:believe to be a season. You may have,
Speaker:as I said before, short seasons or long seasons, friends
Speaker:who come into your life for a short time or a long time, and I'll
Speaker:give you a perfect example. It could be work work
Speaker:colleagues who become friends. And then,
Speaker:you grow because you're always growing or you leave the job or
Speaker:they leave, and all of a sudden, the friendship that
Speaker:you thought was really so important in your life
Speaker:dissipates before your eyes just vanishes. And
Speaker:so that would be a season. Does that
Speaker:mean this is a question I've asked myself does that mean
Speaker:it wasn't good while it was lasting?
Speaker:And I believe that it can be good during
Speaker:the season of the friendship, but then you just move
Speaker:on. It doesn't have to be a huge catastrophe
Speaker:that you part ways something traumatic or
Speaker:dramatic. It can be simply outgrowing each
Speaker:other or the circumstances that you found
Speaker:yourself in have changed and evolved so that
Speaker:you are not, supporting and relying on each
Speaker:other. You know, I had some really fantastic
Speaker:friends at school, and now for whatever reason, maybe we're
Speaker:busy, we maybe things are just, we've just moved on. Some
Speaker:people leave the country, move away.
Speaker:Whatever that is, it's a season. And can we
Speaker:still honor the relationship even when it's over, if
Speaker:it was good? And if it wasn't so good, can
Speaker:we, again, just like the reason,
Speaker:really hold space for the lessons learned?
Speaker:Really interesting. I find it so fascinating.
Speaker:And the thing is is to be just mindful, just to be in presence
Speaker:during it all. As I've always said, I say to myself,
Speaker:isn't this interesting? And just observe it.
Speaker:Observe what's going on. And, of course, journaling is such a great
Speaker:way to look back and reflect. And the last
Speaker:one is a lifetime, and the poem goes like this.
Speaker:Lifetime relationships teach you lifetime
Speaker:lessons, things you must build upon to have a
Speaker:solid emotional foundation. Your job
Speaker:is to accept the lesson, love the person,
Speaker:and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships
Speaker:and areas of your life. It is said that love is
Speaker:blind, but friendship is clairvoyant.
Speaker:Wow. Lifetime lessons.
Speaker:Yeah. Those are possibly your family
Speaker:who has been around in your life for a real long time.
Speaker:And friends that, you know, you say, oh, I've known so and
Speaker:so since I was a toddler, I was in kindergarten, or I was
Speaker:in grade school, and you're well into middle life. Those
Speaker:friends tend to be the lifetime friends.
Speaker:And they're lifetime lessons. Sometimes the lifetime
Speaker:lessons is just to help you get through, the
Speaker:daily grind of living. And sometimes the
Speaker:lesson can be more harsh, especially if you have
Speaker:had somebody who has been or you
Speaker:feel has been really detriment
Speaker:to your well-being, who has really harmed
Speaker:you emotionally, physically, or mentally.
Speaker:And so that could be a lifetime experience,
Speaker:which gets into the whole realm of healthy boundary
Speaker:setting. And, you know, you can divorce somebody
Speaker:that you have met. But sometimes you can't divorce your family. And
Speaker:here, even as I say that, I know people
Speaker:in families who have literally divorced each other. They
Speaker:will have nothing to do with them, they've broken contact,
Speaker:and so what are you gonna do? Right? Those are
Speaker:lifetime people, lifetime lessons.
Speaker:Very, very interesting, Not very easy
Speaker:to navigate through. But if you
Speaker:have somebody who has come into your life for a
Speaker:reason, a season, or a lifetime,
Speaker:I believe the wiser I get I was gonna
Speaker:say older. But the wiser I get, I'm just gonna hold
Speaker:space for it. And, you know, nothing lasts
Speaker:forever. That is impermanence.
Speaker:And also to say that somebody belongs to the
Speaker:other person. My son. I have 2 sons. I use
Speaker:the the vocabulary my son.
Speaker:But there really, I feel,
Speaker:souls who have come to me, and I've had the privilege of
Speaker:being their maternal figure. But do they really
Speaker:belong to me? I hope they will
Speaker:continue with me for my whole lifetime,
Speaker:but really knowing that we are all individuals
Speaker:walking the same path and walking ourselves home.
Speaker:And if we can notice, be present,
Speaker:and honor people the best we can, and
Speaker:that might mean setting healthy
Speaker:boundaries and knowing what's good for you.
Speaker:Right? I do believe we can set healthy boundaries
Speaker:without being overly aggressive and
Speaker:emotionally really harsh to another person.
Speaker:And so these are the lessons of life. Who's coming into your
Speaker:life for a reason, a season, a lifetime? And I tell you, I've
Speaker:had some people that I've absolutely loved and
Speaker:adored who have been a season in my
Speaker:life, and it really hurt to let them go. But, you know,
Speaker:we kind of forced it. We've tried to make plans to meet,
Speaker:and it was it was just not lining up. Maybe their
Speaker:schedule and my schedule, it was just not lining
Speaker:up. To notice that, to realize
Speaker:that, and to let it
Speaker:go with kindness, maybe not love, but
Speaker:loving kindness, I really do feel is the
Speaker:goal, especially in this circumstance. I'm gonna circle
Speaker:back to my trip to Antigua because while we were there, we
Speaker:met 2 really great couples. We went with a couple, which we had a
Speaker:blast with, and then we met 2 other couples.
Speaker:And, you know, what a great experience that was. Barbara and
Speaker:Bob and Diana and Greg. And we just had a
Speaker:lot. They lived in California, the United States, and we live in
Speaker:Canada. Well, it was kinda like we were friends
Speaker:from forever friends. This is just like we
Speaker:we connected like I'd always known them, and I
Speaker:it's just, like, so interesting that they have come so far
Speaker:away. We came so far away. We met in a place. Once again,
Speaker:it could be a reason or a season, very short season because
Speaker:this is a week. And then what is
Speaker:gonna happen without forcing? Now social
Speaker:media has certainly influenced this
Speaker:because now we are able to stay connected with people.
Speaker:And I say, you know, if you if you put it out and you stay
Speaker:a little connected and it works out, that's great. And if it,
Speaker:flitters off without even knowing, then
Speaker:that's okay too. It's
Speaker:okay too. It's when we push our agendas
Speaker:on anything that's going on in our life that we
Speaker:create suffering because we're either pushing away
Speaker:people we don't want or grasping people that we do
Speaker:want. Both cause suffering, says the Buddha.
Speaker:It's to be with each moment with an awareness
Speaker:and a loving kindness. That's how I
Speaker:decide to live the best I can. It's not always
Speaker:smooth sailing, but then those people who are lifetime
Speaker:friends and family, they can certainly soothe
Speaker:the path. You know? Make the path a little bit easier.
Speaker:So I hope this resonates with you, but I do want to leave you with
Speaker:a really beautiful poem, and it complements this.
Speaker:And this is from Anne Mortife, and it's got
Speaker:called Your Season. When
Speaker:winter is upon the land, there's nothing for the seed to do
Speaker:but wait. When spring appears, there's nothing
Speaker:for the bud to do but blossom. When summer
Speaker:unfolds, there's nothing for the fruit to do but ripen.
Speaker:And when autumn comes, there's nothing for the fruit to do but
Speaker:fall. This is the way of it.
Speaker:Why cling to or struggle against the season in
Speaker:which you find yourself? Cultivate
Speaker:equanimity, patience, and acceptance, and you
Speaker:will find joy in whatever season.
Speaker:I'm gonna add, you will find a reason or
Speaker:joy or purpose or a lesson
Speaker:in the friendships or the people that
Speaker:float in and out of your life. I hope
Speaker:this resonates with you. I know that, the
Speaker:season of A Call for Love is
Speaker:really just such a beautiful season for me. I
Speaker:have met so many people, and so many people are reaching out to me.
Speaker:And I thank you for staying and
Speaker:listening and here until the end. You are
Speaker:appreciated. I appreciate you greatly. From
Speaker:my heart to yours, namaste.
