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I hope you are continuing to prioritise self-care and healing, Brooke and gradually regaining your strength - sending much love 💚

This episode made me realise that life is full of curveballs, but maybe more for some than others? If you're a 'planner' then do you 'feel' the curveballs more than if you are someone who tends to go more with the flow? I know a curveball came for me in 2021 with our daughter stuck in the UK during COVID and struggling with her mental health...it changed all our lives, ultimately for the better because it forced us to prioritise what really mattered. Maybe that's what curveballs can offer us in a positive sense...an opportunity to reassess and discover something about life and ourselves that we would never otherwise have had the chance to experience.

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Hi Brooke and Ben, great episode. Hope your recuperation is going well Brooke and yes we do care xx

I was thrown a curveball this week with my boss having a medical incident which will put him out of action for months. So this topic was very timely for me.

By the way I've read Bridget Delaney's book on Stoicism. I highly recommend it and thought it could be a good topic for your to delve into at some stage here on The Tortoise.

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Great episode, Brooke and Ben! I'm coming to it late, because, life, but I really wanted to add a thought to what you discussed - I hope you don't mind! I felt that, for a lot of the conversation, you were talking about two different types of curveballs, which might need two different approaches to handling: both knock you off the path you're currently walking, but one takes you on a detour and the other signals you've reached the end of that road and you have to find another one to walk. My husband recently had to take on another position at work which is a hugely stressful transition, but eventually his path is going to look much the same as it was: detour. My daughter's autism diagnosis was a complete redirection of where we thought her life would be going (not necessarily in a bad way, just different). The detour might just require recalibration and remapping. But changing path completely is going to take more getting used to, and a lot more processing while you work out where you are and where you're new destination is going to be. I hope you're both doing OK - and I'll catch up soon with the recent newsletters and podcasts! Xx

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Hi, Brooke and Ben- Great episode. Liked Ben’s horse fable :) Hope your healing is continuing, Brooke. It’s been a rough trot for sure. I hope your garden is sustaining you. I needed this episode. I have been in the middle of some curveballs. You described the process of acceptance amongst uncertainty beautifully, which reminded me of this teaching from spiritual teacher Tara Brach which has helped me: RAIN= Recognize. Allow. Investigate. Nurture. Recognize the feelings. Allow the feelings. Investigate why you’re so upset/sad/disappointed (aka your stories that may or may not be true), and Nurture yourself, be kind to yourself. Moving through this process- when I can remember to!- really helps. Thank you for walking us through all this. 💜

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I have had a massive curveball in my personal life in the last year. My therapist says I need to deal with it like grieving a death, as it is the death of the future I thought I’d have. She recommended the 5 stages of grief, and I can definitely relate to this

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Such a great poddie🧡 I too have been given a curve ball with my health that I wasn't expecting. This podcast was just what I needed.

Thank you Brooke and Ben🧡🧡

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