Walking Away ...

"If you are brave enough to say goodbye 

life will reward you

with a new hello."

Paulo Coelho

Walking away can be challenging, especially when we are not yet ready to part. Even when we feel completion, facing a new beginning may not yet be the way we want to go. Whether it is a completion of a season or a relationship, resistance to change can be overpowering. It becomes imperative to not look back.

When we shift our thoughts to positive thinking, our belly stops churning and our head ceases to pound. If we no longer face the future with dread, but with an adventurous spirit, numerous possibilities unfold. It is best if we open ourselves without definitive expectations. 

Life is surely a cycle of change with which we have very little control. And even if choices are not ideal, we still have a certain level of control. This is not the first ending and beginning, and it will not be the last. Believe in the goodness that awaits, as we will not only survive but thrive.

 

Defined Image

"It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, 

but it's another to think that your's is the only path."

Paulo Coelho

Years may be spent in defining a path. Months may be dedicated to research and discovery.  Days might  be given to isolation, while moments may have been reserved for silence.  It takes dedication to allow the process.

If we remember that we are more apt to learn from diverse opinions which challenge us, we create a need to listen to all people traveling upon an individual path.  This does not mean one must follow nor does it mean one must become ... well, one.

We are individual human beings encountering an authentic role to play in this time and space.  What a delightful image to think of each person traveling in their own way bathed in respect, honor, and compassion.  Perhaps this would be enough to remove fear, anger, hate and violence.  

Projected

"Remember that wherever your heart is,

there you will find your treasure."

THE ALCHEMIST, Paulo Coelho

Instructed to envision my heart, I closed my eyes and saw an image appearing to be formed with tiny pieces of mosaic tile.  Ah, my broken heart pasted back together many times over.  Next, we were to examine what we saw inside of our heart, dividing it into three layers.

The top layer was filled with radiant rainbow colors displaying instant memories  of special moments with deeply loved people.  It was buoyant and joyful. The second layer was night time, dark with sparkling stars shining in the moon light.  Each reflection capture a relationship that had touched my heart. The darkness hovered, covering all of the nasty parts.  The bottom layer was infinitely small, centered in the tip of the heart, gently cradling my self, alone.

For years,  I had doused others individually or collectively with love, energy and light.  I was childlike feeling ecstatic sending beams anonymously from my soul.  As I gave, more returned, and so I extended indulgently. This was my joy. And yet, there I was in the tip of my heart ... all love being projected.

Like many experiences, this visualization did not turn out the way I had anticipated. 

 

Shift Perceptions with Broader Scopes

"We have every single day this possibility,

this chance of discovering something new."

Paulo Coelho

Educationally I achieved the level I needed for my career, but I rarely missed an opportunity to attend another workshop or class to stack up credit.  Then as my world slowly turned, I began to give the presentations and share what I had endeavored to learn.  My feast was found in the reciprocating students willing to share stories and experiences.

The need to learn propelled me into studies of ancestors, religion, philosophy, astrology and other areas making my world expand beyond my expectations.  Mentors were bountiful and sisters of my heart were expanding into new areas as well.  We would gather and share, updating and eliminating information, and shifting perceptions with broader scopes.

It seems I am of the age now, where all of my seeking and yearning begins to apply to the life which surrounds me.  It is in solitude that I can make the most sense out of eclectic thoughts, stringing words and theories to support and contrast.  When I am surrounded by trees and birds in flight, while mighty flowers push up through the soil, I have the sense that nature has been patiently waiting for me.   It is as though spring creates a colorful kaleidoscope to blend my life time ponderings and the reflections of my soul.

Stand Differently, Yet Together

"In a forest of a hundred thousand trees,

no two leaves are alike.  And no two 

journeys along the same path are alike."

Paulo Coelho

When we open our hearts and share our fears with trusted friends, we can gain wisdom to propel us down our path.  When we share experiences, not copy, we can gain a broader perspective about approach.  There is no benefit from duplicating the progress of others, but we can gain important information from their process.

As a child, I was told no two snowflakes were alike, implying if God took great care with the small form of snow, imagine how much care God had given to me.  Never feeling special or worthy of God's attention, my path followed Jesus the Christ with whom I could relate. He chose to be in nature and blended his teachings with nature.

Perhaps this is the basis for my adoration of trees.  They are strong, enduring, and supportive, yet stand alone in the midst of others.  No two leaves are alike and yet they hang from the same branch. This example of nature, gives me hope for brothers and sisters with differing opinions.  May we all find the ability to stand differently, and yet together.