5 June 2014
When Jo asked for a blog for my slot on the forum I immediately had an idea of what I would write about….. and this wasn’t it! However as I jotted down the train of thought, which actually is very un-train-like as it isn’t straight and doesn’t travel in one direction(!) a whole raft of other options and routes floated into my mind and the one I am starting with today is ‘Unexpected Item in the Bagging Area!’ I hope to write a few lines each day on some of the other ideas that floated by as there were on a bit of a theme, and hopefully they will amuse and inform in to varying degrees.
Not so long ago the phrase ‘Unexpected Item in the Bagging Area’ was not in our vocabulary; it was not a phrase that we used elsewhere that suddenly popped up in a new environment with a slightly different connotation. It was a completely new phrase that we could add to our already quite considerable list of quotes and sayings that had drifted into our lives over the years.
This once new and alien phrase, is now a standard part of life that generally tumbles into our ears when we are dashing through the self-service checkout because the basket queue is too long and we are already late! ‘What’ our inner voice shouts, or more often our audible voice emits is ‘Noooooooo!’ or ‘What!’, prompting the loitering assistant to wander our way, swipe a card, press some buttons, perhaps exchange a few words, and then drift off leaving us to continue our scanning none the wiser as to what we had done to cause the machine offence in the first place.
Sometimes I think this phrase applies to our lives too. There we are merrily going about our life, looking after the kids, house, job, partner etc then an alien voice from a disembodied, far off, machines pulls us up sharp, with ‘ Unexpected Item in the Bagging Area’.
What unexpected items have you had in your bagging area; an unexpected pregnancy, an unexpected redundancy, relationship breakdown, health issue, bereavement? Unexpected items aren’t always on the negative side of life, perhaps yours was an inheritance, a lottery win, a promotion, bonus, or perhaps an unexpected pregnancy? Good or bad, unexpected items in the bagging area of our life, happen and they are opportunities to take-stock, learn, get help and make changes.
Take a moment to look back now at your last ‘bagging area’ moment; what was it and what did you do? Did you give yourself the time to - take-stock, learn what the moment was telling you, get help from someone and make the changes that would support and add to your life going forward? If not take time now to do this and notice what you could do now that would add positively to your life going forward.
Enjoy your next supermarket visit and I wonder what will go through your mind this time when that machine says ‘Un………………..
Thanks for reading, have a great week!
Emma
Emma Kingscott is an experienced Life & Business Coach and Mum, bringing the effectiveness of Planning, Organisation and Results from the Business to the Home, and vice versa, with humour! She is on the Forum next week to help you navigate the winding road that we follow through our lives; tell her about the speed-bumps that are slowing you down, the dead-end you may have arrived at or the roundabout you just can’t find the right exit from.