You know when you’re driving somewhere you’ve been before, and you know your turn is approaching but you can’t quite remember which one it is?
Even though you’re familiar with the path, you worry that you’ll miss what it is you’re looking for.
And so you drive. You’re focusing hard on every approaching side street. Squinting to locate each street sign and decipher the name on every one. Even when you know that this is so not the turn you’re looking for.
You’re searching for landmarks that you know will be there but you can’t really remember what they are, so you’re not entirely sure what you’re actually looking for. Your brow is in full furrow, maybe your jaw is clenched.
In short, you are working HARD.
Even though you know where you’re going!
And then there it is, every time, when you get to the turn you are meant to take. It’s so OBVIOUS. There’s no question that this is the turn you’ve been looking for, the path you are meant to take.
So clearly there’s a metaphor here, one that links your literal route to the figurative or spiritual path you seek to follow. One that could suggest a quality of trust, a faith in your own knowing of how to get where you want to go.
I experienced this just this morning, and have experienced the same thing at least 8 times before, going to the SAME exact place.
I mean, even if I mess up and miss the turn, there’s another side street one block down that I can use to turn around and go back. And how sweet will it be when I get it right, when I recognize that turn after having just enjoyed the drive. No forehead creases. No tension. Just ease and flow and a little bit of faith.
Now, this morning wasn’t the first time I noticed what was happening or wished for a change, but it was the first time I consciously made note of it.
I wrote it down.
I thought about it on the way back home.
I made a sign to put in my car as a reminder.
I rolled it around my brain as I did other things.
This was my lesson to absorb today, my new awareness to don, my new perspective to cultivate.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
This afternoon, I went to a beautiful event – a tribute to an amazing woman, teacher, dancer, and friend. I hadn’t known it beforehand, but one of my students was there, to dance ballet. I was so excited!
And then they came out. About 20 lovely dancers, all dressed in the same embellished white ballet leotard, with the same wreath of white flowers in their hair that was pulled back in just the same sleek way. And about half of them were around the same height as my student.
For a moment, I panicked! How would I find my girl in this sea of young dancers?
And then I relaxed and remembered that I can trust myself. I can let myself know this like I can let myself know the way.
So I calmed and stilled and slowly scanned across the back row first, noticing and moving on, noticing and moving on.
And there she was. My sweet, silly student holding her space and dancing her dance with such skill and grace. How could I possibly think that I wouldn’t have recognized that?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It’s amazing to me how much we can get in the way of our own ease and flow, our own experience of pleasure and joy. How quick we often are to give away the opportunity to know for ourselves. To default to some other person’s knowledge, some other thing’s authority. And not for nothing, but how quick we can be to expect that others do the same.
In my coaching practice, my clients uncover what – for them – lies in the space between thrive and bloom. Planting and nurturing those seeds feeds and lets flourish vibrant, thriving blooms.
Today, I’ve planted for myself the seeds of letting myself know. Trust in self. Faith. Ease. Can you imagine the blooms that will grow from there?
What seeds will you plant today?
