Cathy Ferringo - Helping High-Achievers Find Clarity, Build Sustainable Momentum, and Lead on Their Own Terms
Expect ideas, decision-making frameworks, real-life lessons, and occasional permission slips to help you move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.
The Year of Coucharoo
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Normally, this week I'd be packing for Bonnaroo. Instead, I'm sitting at home watching my husband head off to Tennessee while I stay put. For those who don't know, Bonnaroo is a music festival that we've been going to since 2014. Over the years, it's become much more than a music festival for me. I always describe it as an adult summer camp with a really good soundtrack. It's one of those places where I return to myself. Every year, it gives me space to recharge, reconnect, and renew. There are the bands and the friends and the memories, of course. But there's also something deeper about stepping away from everyday life and giving yourself permission to just be. This year, I won't be there. I'm currently waiting for a potential kidney transplant, and while I'm waiting, I've decided to stay close to home and close to my medical team. It's the right choice. It just isn't my favorite choice. As friends have been getting ready to leave and my husband has been packing up for the trip, I've been thinking a lot about what Bonnaroo actually gives me. Before everyone left, I sent our group a little note reminding them to drink water, wear sunscreen, and take care of themselves. No matter where I am, I can't seem to stop being a little bit of a mother hen. I also reminded them of something else. You are arriving complete. Lovely. Beautiful. Whole. Not behind. Not broken. Not less than. Just fully yourself. Then I had one of those moments where I realized maybe I needed that reminder too. The more I sat with it, the more I realized that while I may not be physically at Bonnaroo this year, I can still create some of what it gives me. Music. Creativity. Time outside. Space to think. Space to breathe. Space to reconnect with myself. A chance to return to myself. So this year I'm embracing Coucharoo. I'll be listening to the Bonnaroo playlist, watching a few livestreams, writing, and spending time outside. We live surrounded by farmers' fields, and it's quiet here. I suspect there will be some time on the deck, some time in the hammock, and probably a visit or two with our chickens, ducks, and turkeys. There will be lots of music. Lots of water. Hopefully a little bit of magic. And, if I'm being completely honest, I'm also pretty happy that there won't be any porta-potties involved. Life doesn't always let us do things the way we planned. Sometimes we have to find a different way to meet the need underneath the plan. For me, Bonnaroo has always been a place to recharge, reconnect, and renew. This year I'm learning that maybe those things don't only exist in Tennessee. Maybe they're things I can create for myself wherever I am. I'm still figuring out what Coucharoo will become, but I have a feeling there will be music, sunshine, and a little bit of magic involved. What helps you recharge and return to yourself? Feel free to hit reply and let me know. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks, Cathy ────────────────── Cathy Ferringo, PCC |
Cathy Ferringo - Helping High-Achievers Find Clarity, Build Sustainable Momentum, and Lead on Their Own Terms
Expect ideas, decision-making frameworks, real-life lessons, and occasional permission slips to help you move forward with greater clarity, confidence, and intention.
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