#264: Our Neighbor Nathalie
Ten stories above where I currently sit, perched on the edge of a wicker chair in our building’s quote-unquote “garden,” lives an absolutely splendid Belgian woman.
Nathalie, wife of Pascal and mother of three thriving adult children, is quite a fan of Winnie. So we spend a good amount of time popping in and out of her apartment. Especially because Winnie now exits the elevator and runs to Nathalie’s door instead of our own.
And here’s the reason Nathalie is the subject of today’s musing: months ago, when we first met (she and her husband recently moved here from Singapore), Nathalie decided that I was a superb mother.
Not kinda sorta okay.
Not a work in progress.
But superb.
And she told me.
Openly. Affectionately. Confidently.
Often.
Friends. Friends, friends, friends.
Do you have any idea how powerful this is? To have someone who has already done your “job” successfully look at you in the early days of your “career” and say, “Wow.”
Because that’s the word she uses. “Wow.”
A few weeks ago, for instance, Nathalie, Winnie and I were in Nathalie’s bedroom while Winnie turned her bedside lamp on and off, then rummaged around on top of the nightstand.
She came across a box of trinkets that she loved shaking, but eventually spilled. Nathalie didn’t mind, so Winnie got the box back. But when it happened again and again, we decided it was time for Winnie to put the box down.
Winnie, being of the age where she has her own thoughts and opinions, didn’t like our decision.
So she protested. Loudly.
And Nathalie held her while she screamed, murmuring soft, comforting words.
And I sat there. Allowing Winnie to be frustrated. Allowing her to be comforted by another.
Helping her to see that the world doesn’t end when we don’t get what we want.
And gratefully (very gratefully) watching Nathalie in action, knowing that I could learn from her.
When Winnie eventually calmed down, Nathalie offered words of affirmation. She celebrated my decision to let Winnie experience frustration. To work through it. Supported but not saved. Comforted but not coddled.
And her face, the genuine affection that shone through, directed my way. Goodness! Goodness, goodness, goodness.
So, while I understand that I just wrote a musing praising my own mothering… weird?
I really do mean this as an observation of another.
Because Nathalie, my new and cherished neighbor, lived her “purpose” that evening.
Not by running a startup or curing cancer or burning herself out while getting a charity off the ground.
By opening her home (which she loves to do) to a mom who’s just starting out.
By living in her gifts.
By being so fully and radiantly herself that I felt liberated in her presence.
By her presence, full stop.
Her presence.
It’s been a while since I’ve written about it, but the entire Gene Keys wisdom system revolves around the notion that our purpose is about our presence, the state of being we radiate outward when we’re our most aligned and authentic selves, not the things we do.
And isn’t that freeing? A discussion of purpose focused on being, not doing.
Kind of what the world needs, no?
Love,
Your friend who’s going to get a hard time from her hubbalicious about this self-celebratory musing
Morning Musings is a delight-first writing practice where I put my fingers on the keyboard and see if any ideas want to play. New to these musings? Here’s the start of a curated/by topic guide: https://www.keelycopeland.com/blog
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