Aligned Well-being: Lessons from Rodin’s Museum Garden
Each time I step into the garden of Rodin Museum, I feel at home. The blend of art, greenery, history, and stillness creates a sense of belonging that is difficult to describe.
Last week, while buying a book at the Museum’s store, I spoke French while buying a book in English. The friendly person at the counter looked at me and said: “Are you aware this book is in English?” “Yes,” I replied and explained.
Then came a familiar question: “Where are you from? Your accent transported me to Italy!”
I laughed. It seems that my accent makes people travel often! Just yesterday, someone else’s guess was “Germany!” Over the years, my accent has placed me in different countries. I sometimes simply respond: “I’m a citizen of the world!”
Growing up in a tri-cultural environment, I know first-hand how it feels to belong to different cultures at once, feeling close, and yet distant at the same time. My two grandmas embodied this. One was intellectual and Mediterranean at heart. She cooked with olive oil and loved reading. My other grandma, from Scandinavia, felt to her teatime rituals, went swimming regularly, and was creative: knitting, sawing, baking. They were certainly from different cultures, carried different rhythms, different accents. Their life journeys took them to the same country, that was both, home and foreign to them.
What I carry from them is the knowledge that there is never just one way of doing things, of thinking, of being. Each country, each culture, adds a new pillar to our identity, a new window of opportunity to explore a different part of ourselves. And, beyond countries, accents, and culture, I always return to nature as my anchor point. This is where I have always found a deep sense of belonging. Wherever I go, its rhythms remind me that I belong.
So, next time you hear someone’s accent, pause and let curiosity guide you. You might open a door to their story - and perhaps a moment of connection.
And if you are navigating a life transition yourself (whether career, culture, life stage, or an unexpected life challenge), this might be a good moment to reflect on your pillars of identity. Here are some questions for reflection:
What helps you anchor your self in times of transition?
What helps you separate what you truly want from what is expected from you?
How do you integrate time and space for your different roles?
Which are the spaces, places, people that make you feel that you belong?
I believe that sometimes, before setting goals around movement, sleep, energy, or nutrition, it is helpful to first pause and explore where you are, where you want to go, and what is meaningful and important for you in this moment in your life. From there, your strengths, insights, and values, can guide you to set goals that are aligned with your unique life vision.
If you are curious about how to create space to dive deeper on this exploration, I’d be happy to speak with you. This is my favourite coaching topic!