Unpredictable ... when life throws you wobblies
E36: You can choose to retreat or move forward, Meet a Member Kathy Karn
Dear Tilters
We are now a community of 118. Diverse personalities, crossing all generations from GenZ to Baby Boomer; different nationalities, genders, lived experiences, careers and life-stages.
As a community we have a lot to learn from and share forward with each other. I am struck by the variety of lived experiences in my conversation with each of you. The ambitions of our youth, navigating the speed bumps, finding our way around rather than over our obstacles.
With permission, I have started a Meet a Member segment in my newsletter. In edition 36 we meet Kathy Karn. I thought it might be interesting to profile and introduce a different member of our community each week. Because each of you fascinate me. And your stories offer me insights into ways we can tilt our future in our favour. If you are intrigued by someone’s profile, reach out to learn more about them. This community of Tilters is such a rich resource.
Karena
When life throws you wobblies
A migraine. A major life-event. A project that moves into the zone of scope-creep.
There are many reasons why things don’t go to plan. You have a choice at that point:
Retreat and review, OR
Call it as it is, and move forward
I’m choosing the latter. This week did not go to plan. The sun was shining, the patio was open, and the kids are home for the long weekend. Suitcases are out and Covid tests scheduled. It’s been interesting, wonderful, and busy. But the newsletter words did not flow freely or on schedule.
Unpredictable
I’m headed over to Europe to spend the next few months in the company of my wonderful mama and amazing siblings. We are lucky to be celebrating a few milestone birthdays together.
While I have crafted my life over this past decade precisely with this flexibility in mind - the nomadic lifestyle that permits me to work from anywhere - it does mean that I am less sure of my schedule on a given day.
So, I have decided to take a page out of the #nextNow chapter in my book Contours of Courageous Parenting - Tilting Towards Better Decisions. Life happens. And as Donna Stott reminded me, “Its what you do next that matters.” So, I am publishing regardless. Choosing consistency over a perfect streak. I’ll use the long flights and airport wait time to pre-plan some editions. Embracing the unpredictability.
How do you embrace and work with the inevitable speed-bumps in your life?
Meet a member: Kathy Karn
If you ask Kathy to describe herself today, she would probably say “Wildlife photographer, conservationist and author.”
But head over to her About page, and you discover how she has re-purposed her lifetime career as a trauma therapist and her passion in photography. It is as if the elephants sense her skill set and use her camera lens to communicate their message to us. She effectively walks that tightrope between visually communicating the urgency, and yet inspiring us - as humans - to respond to the trauma facing nature.
Her coffee-table photobook The Wisdom of Elephants is currently in pre-sale. Head over for a sneak peak at the beautiful photos of this diminishing herd of big tusker elephants in Amboseli photographed with the backdrop of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
“Elephants are extraordinarily intelligent animals who are aligned with humanity in so many ways – family structure, emotional intelligence, memory, wisdom, and even intergenerational trauma.”
Some of the proceeds will be donated to Kenyan conservation groups that protect the beautiful elephants and wildlife of that region, while creating sustainable work for the generations of caretakers indigenous to the region.
What I learn from Kathy is that our journey to make a difference on this Earth does not have a date-stamp, and does not end with retirement. She is filled with energy and vitality. And hope.
Learn more and get involved by signing up to her weekly blog about African wildlife: Heartfelt Stories https://kathykarn.com/blog
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Karena, great post! I love Kathy's journey and your message that anyone can make a difference in this world irrespective of their age. Looking forward to reading more such stories :)
Karena I love your message to embrace unpredictability - very useful and appropriate at this time in my life too!