The last week of January I went to one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended, and came home from the conference with COVID-19.
My husband and I have been so careful about keeping that virus out of our household for two years here in Oregon, and my one trip to Arizona blew our diligence right out of the water in a week.
I was not a happy camper. Neither was my husband. I’m so grateful I was fully vaccinated and had also received my booster shot.
The recovery period wasn’t very much fun. And I’m not fully recovered yet. Fortunately, my husband did not contract the illness during my super-strict quarantine in our home.
Yet nearly just as not fun was a niggling something that arose both before the conference and after my trip.
Conflict.
I stayed with a friend of 30 years before the conference, and felt there were times I wasn’t being truly listened to, heard, or understood. I said something. I knew I needed to, wished I had worded it better, and in effect lost that 30-year friendship in one fell swoop. It was the first time in that 30-year friendship I remember ever speaking up for myself. And the friendship ended when I did.
Then COVID-19 followed me home and all of our regular household routines were upended and disrupted. Everyone (including the cat) was getting cranky, and more conflict ensued right under my own roof.
And then something ironic occurred to me.
I once created a video class on precisely how to compassionately communicate through conflict using guidelines from The Center for Non-Violent Communication. https://www.cnvc.org/ I happened to mention it to someone at the conference, and I obviously needed the reminder myself!
AND…the Ho’oponopono prayer was also mentioned at the conference as I did in this class!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckjSq0y5r8E.
Start at about 58 seconds to get the goods.
I may have sucked at it a couple of times this last week, yet I know from personal experience you can more easily move through conflict while using these compassionate communication skills.
They work.
Let me know how they work for you.
Celebrating MANY VOICES: One World! Purchase How Abella Found her Voice for $4.95 here: https://laurahandke.com/product/how-abella-found-her-voice-e-book/
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Love Your Voice & Voice Your Love,
Laura