When the Clocks Stop
On Coincidence, Symbolism and Catching Up With Ourselves
First thing Monday morning our office clock was running twenty minutes behind and fooled us into thinking we had loads of time!! Then I find the pretty little blue clock that has been with me in my counselling room since I started out as a therapist in the early 90s has totally given up the ghost and cannot be revived Then at lunchtime we noticed that the clock out in the group space had stopped
Three clocks. One day.
What are the odds?
That alone would have been enough to unsettle the rhythm of the week, but the universe wasn’t finished: the WiFi faltered, the phone signal ghosted in and out, and my computer apparently unionised and began operating on a three-day week.
On the surface, these are small irritations. But they coincided with the busy two weeks ‘run up to Christmas’ where I need to be steady and grounded for my clients as they will have to navigate a longer space as I take my break. I have been frustrated, at times a little stressed and exhausted with the emotional demand of being fully present for my clients in this unhelpful backdrop.
I found myself wondering what the universe was saying and if something was being signalled here?
In folklore, a stopped clock often symbolises a break in the flow of time, a closing of one phase, the threshold of another. When multiple clocks stop, the symbolism becomes stronger. Is there an ending on the horizon? A nudge to accept ageing and slowing down? I couldn’t help but wonder if there is major transition approaching.
My first response was kind of knee jerk, is it time to stop counselling? Am I just too out of step with technology and the speed at which life now goes for everyone? Is this the end of a cycle perhaps?
Whether the universe was speaking or everything was just coincidental doesn’t really matter, because it caused me to tune in and locate myself. My own supervision session this week was pivotal in that process.
And what finally came into focus was this:.
I’ve already made a huge transition, from full time counsellor, supervisor and counsellor trainer, to part time counsellor and supervisor. I have gradually over the last year halved my case load which nearly always sits within three days a week now.
I’ve had more time to grow and develop my creativity in all aspects of needle and wet felting and embroidery. This ongoing creative learning process is like breathing for me. It’s so much more than producing the finished pieces, it’s the continual experimentation and learning process that my mind and hands rely on.
Holding community spaces through workshops and events and the occasional wedding ceremony, a long held dream, is now established and growing.
This doesn’t even touch how we’ve somehow managed to give ourselves this chance of a different kind of life. Through living and experiencing being here at The Orchard we have deepened our love and understanding of ecology, land stewardship and sustainability. It has become a genuine passion woven into daily life here.
I realised the transition has already happened.
The clocks stopping didn’t announce a change to come…they simply helped me to recognise the change that has taken place. To acknowledge that we have moved into a later phase of life and fulfilled our dream for this phase on our timeline.
This has been a symbolic reset. An invitation to inhabit the life that has taken shape around me. I just needed to catch up, to make the emotional and spiritual “reset”.
Now I’m not saying that there’s nothing else to do. There is always more to learn and to grow through, and I want to be open to what emerges as we go along, but maybe the striving doesn’t have to be so demanding, so stretching because we’ve already arrived.