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Stretch & Soar

Author: Rebecca

Empty Nest, Now What?

Rebecca Leave a comment

In August 2014, I was unceremoniously added to the list of empty nesters.

In the three minutes it took for me to drive off campus, my status changed from homeschooling mom of 20 years to mom.

During the 90 miles drive home, I was a bit numb, unsettled, and disjointed. I wasn’t sobbing uncontrollably but I also wasn’t singing with abandonment either. After all, I’d been preparing myself mentally for this day since our first son left for college 2 years ago.  It was a day I knew would come; that I couldn’t stop or ignore or avoid.

It was like the Grinch who tried to stop Christmas from coming.  It simply wouldn’t work.    

And I didn’t really want to stop it. I truly was full of joy in many respects. We had raised our sons to the point of independence; to the place where they felt confident to step out and experience life outside our watchful presence.  

And I realized I was now at a point of independence as well.  The question was, “Am I confident to step out and experience life outside their presence?”

I decided the answer was a nervous, tentative yes, but yes, nevertheless.  

But that meant I needed to ask myself some of the same questions that my college kids wrestle with:he

**What type of relationships do I want to discover or rediscover?  

**What dreams do I have?  

**What do I absolutely love to do?

**What do I have to share with others?

**How do I want to use my time?

**What do I want to do with my life (his first stage of life and my second stage)

**What am I being called to do with my life (the rest of it)

**What’s most important to me?

What obstacles and fears do I need to overcome to go for new goals?

What’s it going to take to face my fears?

So, I’ve started my junior year as an empty nester and I’m still learning and relearning as I go.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein

Why Stretch and Soar?

Rebecca Leave a comment

Quite a lot of thought went into choosing a name for my Life Coaching. As a result, there is much meaning behind the name Stretch and Soar. So, here we go.

Positive Direction

Because the name itself envisions movement in a positive direction and that’s what coaching is about!

Coaching necessitates stretching

Because Coaching involves stretching ourselves, shifting positions, and going forward!

“Once a person’s mind is stretched by a new idea, it can never return to its original dimensions.” — Oliver Wendell Homes

“Once a person’s mind, body or soul has been stretched by a new idea or experience, we can never truly be the same.” — Rebecca Lile

Reaching new heights and limits

Because Coaching is about taking off to another place, reaching new heights and limits!

Do You Need to Stretch at All? Think about your physical body and how you’d feel if you didn’t stretch your body. Your muscles would get stiff and stay tight, making it hard to move freely or comfortably. When we sit or lay in the same position for awhile, or overnight, we often need to stretch just to work out the kinks and knots that come from inactivity. Once we wake up our muscles and stretch a bit, it usually makes it easier to get moving again. It’s hard to argue the benefits of stretching our physical bodies.

Well, our emotional, mental and spiritual muscles can react the same way after staying in the same position too long! If we don’t stretch those areas of our lives, we can end up stiff, tight, and inflexible. We can get stuck and not be able to move very well. Sometimes, stretching is uncomfortable but eventually we loosen up a bit and are able to move more easily.

With Stretch and Soar Coaching, I want to encourage and equip women to become aware of the areas in their lives that might need stretching, then help them create a plan where they not only stretch but soar to new heights and into a life that they love to wake up to each morning.