Time Being Spent in Nashville, Tennessee

“It’s funny how certain cities get under your skin. I’ve been around, but there’s something captivating about Nashville, Tennessee – a ‘crazy town’, as locals call it, bursting with culture, history and Southern charm (the kind of charm that prompts locals – easily the friendliest people I’ve ever encountered.”

-Brisbane News




A few days ago, I made the 6 hour journey to Nashville, Tennessee.  It is a beautiful drive and a drive I have been taking for over 10 years.  The solitude in my car suits me as I soak up all of  nature,  watching the landscape change the farther south I travel.  From north to south, all of the little towns dotting the interstates have become familiar to me.  I know exactly which exits offer what and where the gas is cheapest. 

Navigation in Nashville is rather easy once one gets the lay of the land.  I can travel most anywhere I want, and believe me, there are plenty of things to do and see.  Scarlett Begonia is my favorite shop, Centennial Park hosting endless art festivals, Nashville Zoo, Nashville Library Downtown, Hillsboro Village, Ann Padgett's Book Store, Music City, Green Hills and Cool Springs Malls, Lake Radner, beautiful parks, and delicious eateries.

My most favorite place in all of Nashville, however, is my daughter's home.  It doesn't matter which season I visit, the highlight will be my time with her.  I feel very nurtured in her space which also houses Hannah the wonder Golden Retriever and Trudy the temperamental Tuxedo Cat.  We can be content just 'being' with each other either reading or sharing in front of her fireplace or out on the covered patio.  We always manage to take plenty of walks and to visit with her friends both new and old.

This precious time between mother and daughter always moves too swiftly.  We are both good listeners so our shared stories, accented with laughter, tears, and lessons, continue to bind us tightly together.   Being with her lifts my spirit and soul.  She reminds me of who I am, what all I have accomplished, and new ways to share my gifts and talents with others.  She awakens my sleeping positive attributes and hushes my critical ego.  By the time I leave, I will be cocooned in an emotional gauze of hugs and kisses, fully prepared to once again face the world.

Symbols are vitally important to me.  My daughter symbolizes life itself with her compassion, endurance, courage, intelligence, and service.  Her inner beauty matches her physical appearance and her worst enemy is her critical ego. 

Oh, if we could only see our selves as Divine Spirit intended ... focusing on our positives, using our gifts and talents with equal love for others as well as for our selves!  

Leaving Nashville ...

We must be willing

to let go of the life

we planned

so as to have the life

that is waiting for us.

Johann von Goethe

My move to Nashville ten months ago was a forever move.  I began to create a new life for my self and although it was not what I had, Nashville offered many adventures and opportunities.  At times I became immobile by the process of the old dying away and the new being born.  The challenge or lesson often overwhelmed me.  Through perseverance, however, I made an extraordinaire spiritual transition accompanied by the loving support of my daughter (both emotional and physical), family I met along the way, and sisters of my heart.

I attended classes at The Estuary, Vanderbilt Center for Integrative Health, Scarritt~Bennett, Integrative Health Center, and Kundalini Yoga Center.  Following open hearted meditations daily, my spiritual life opened to forgiveness and healing.  Experiencing many insights into my own personal issues, my perception changed dramatically.  Compassion for my self and others flourished.

During my residence in Nashville, I experienced a synchronistic meeting with a woman who had been born in Peoria, Illinois, not far from where I had lived.  She

was a kindred spirit who introduced me to a Writer’s Group and a Book Club which met my basic needs of writing and reading.  I soon had my library card and

frequented the Nashville branch library.  My daughter brought me to parks,

festivals, art shows, and gatherings allowing me to feel settled in my new surroundings.  We frequented many restaurants that reminded me of growing up in Chicago with wonderful neighborhood eateries.  Ted’s is possibly my favorite restaurant with bison burgers accompanied (right around the building) by Scarlett Begonia my favorite shop offering free trade from Ecuador.   The Nashville Zoo, The Southern Book Festival, Shakespeare in the Park, Centennial Park, Crockett Park, Radnor Lake, all offered walks of contemplation and laughter.  One highlight for sure was watching my dear Joy’s sell out performance with John Paul as “Civil Wars” at the Ryman! 

Although cloistered much of the time, I found companionship in the writings of Alan Cohen and Mark Nepo to mention just a few.  Posting on my blog became my daily life line to the outside world.  It was a place to release my expanding and contracting journey with spiritual growth.   My dear spiritual sisters endeavored to SKYPE with me every week while others were with me in spirit offering love, light, and energy. 

After four months of exclusion, I revisited my past relationship back in Illinois discovering the dramatic change that occurred within his own life.  We began

to carefully reconsider what could be rekindled from our past nine year union.

Through a long series of couples counseling in Nashville and individual counseling, hope settled in.  I do not believe if I had not been experiencing open heart meditations, I would have been able to embrace the life which now opened before me.  Reconciliation can be successful only with the convergence of two hard working individuals willing to make changes for the betterment of self and of each other.

In a few weeks, I will transition back to my life in Springfield, Illinois.  Those of you who have remained close will understand how this has come to be.   I will always be indebted with a thankful heart for my daughter’s compassion and enduring love, as I leave one way of living for another.  Although I will frequent Nashville with ample visits, my heart will now stretch and grow back in the Midwest. 

I am letting go of what I had planned and find my self stepping into the life that is waiting for me. 

"Be willing to be a beginner every single morning,"

says Meister Eckhart.

And so I being again ...