New Journeys. New Beginnings.
Pema Chodron has written a classic book on Buddhist teachings titled, When Things Fall Apart. It took me years of struggles, trying to hold my life together before I could even take a peek at what she had to say. When I did garner the courage to look, I learned Pema offers a fascinating reflection on what we often view as our crumbling lives.
“… the truth is things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. They come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.”
I have witnessed this profoundly in my own life; have experienced the mysterious mingling of grief and joy all in the same moment as I stood among the rubble and yet knew in all my heart that something even more beautiful would arise. It seems I am once again presented with the opportunity to learn from this continuous cycle.
I returned just six short weeks ago from a fulfilling summer in Europe with what I believed to be a new way of working for myself and with my team. Enthused in a way I had never before experienced, I couldn’t wait to gather everyone for input. At the same time, Aaron was also returning from her own journey to Europe, and a very special one indeed. During her travels, Aaron began and embraced her own new chapter and way of being… And in no small part by getting married! When we met to share our summer experiences and discuss the future, I soon learned that Aaron’s future may not include working at my practice and that she was ready for challenges beyond what I could offer. Thank you, Pema. For I must admit it was truly a moment of grief and joy. Joy for all that would lie ahead for Aaron. Grief for the fact I would miss her dearly.
The practice I have today has been handcrafted over the years by holding my personal vision lightly, remaining open, and discerning the guidance I’ve received. I have watched with awe as it has been shaped just as in the famous quote from the Alchemist,
“And when you want something all of the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
One of the greatest gifts in this process and to my practice was the arrival of Aaron Thompson 4.5 years ago, introduced to me by my longtime graphic designer Christine Terrell, who believed Aaron would be the perfect fit for the direction I wanted to go. She could not have been more correct as Aaron and I have grown not only a business, but together as a team. Aaron quickly created a position for herself well beyond the 10 hours a week of clerical tasks. I am shaking my head in disbelief at the young women whom I first met and who she has become today. I’ve tried always to meet Aaron’s caution in moving forward with encouragement and confidence in her abilities, and soon she embodied that herself.
Over the years, I have proudly watched Aaron take more ownership in her work as it became ours together. I remember the moment in a team meeting when Aaron first referred to our plans using the pronoun “we”, rather than “Lauren’s practice.” That’s when I knew she truly saw herself as part of a team and not merely doing my work.
Aaron has learned first hand how start-ups are created, and how they evolve from the ground up, and now, as we move into the period of refining the fruits of these past years of labor, it seems only fitting she pass the baton to someone new.
Aaron, supported by the magnificent creative work of Christine Terrell, has brought my method to life for clients, the interested public, and now practitioners that I train. Over the course of the past years, she has seen me through three complete reiterations of my training curriculum, countless versions of new client welcome packets, at least five website updates, two published books, four logo changes, several office rearrangements, the masterful visioning of our weekly Take 5, monthly client and practitioner newsletters, a continuing blog that now has over 1200 entries and has single-handedly managed the office four summers in a row while I was away in Europe! In Aaron’s time alone, she has supported me through seeing hundreds of clients, training over 50 practitioners, and growing our mailing list subscribership from 25 to nearly 700 readers. All of which she has done on top of the tireless, thankless task of managing our quirky office calico, Ruby.
Through this time, in which her hours increased, so did her deep commitment to the mission of this practice and the clients and customers we serve. Aaron also became my most trusted confidant and (ever so occasionally) stepped up to the daunting task of informing me when my new idea-of-the-week made absolutely no sense whatsoever.
And so, in all of this, I have to say I am not surprised by Aaron’s decision because the person Aaron has become is no doubt ready for new journeys, new challenges, and new experiences. As one of her biggest fans, I applaud her self awareness and the courage she drew upon to take action.
Aaron, being Aaron, has assured me she will see all of us here and my practice through to a smooth transition. But we all know how once an idea is put into motion, it gains a timing all its own. So don’t wait to express your own best wishes for Aaron’s new beginning!
It is with my own bagful of mixed emotions (the greatest of which is gratitude), I do formally announce Aaron’s departure from my practice in the near future and that we have opened the search for new office staff. Naturally, being who I am, I have taken this opportunity to revise, with Aaron’s support, some of our client care processes and growing list of daily tasks. It is our main goal that none, or at least very few, should affect our steadfast clients any more than our ever-rotating arrangement of office furniture & artwork.
I invite and encourage all of you to help us spread the word that we are now accepting resumes for a Part Time Client Care Assistant. (Full details in the downloadable file.) All inquiries may be sent to Office@LaurenHubele.com.