Dear Divine Universe,
Thank you for all that I have and I am, at this moment; and still, I sense such rich potential for new-ness and other-ness – Unknown Adventures!
I’m watching the wind blowing, Dear Creator, causing leaves to dance on boughs that bend as the trees sway. Such strength and depth there is, in these worldly breaths. There’s such beauty and drama, watching everything go still and quiet, then building again in frenetic energy to a crescendo of bigger, deeper, more powerful bending.
The tree, branches, and leaves move – each in different ways – but, they go nowhere. And, where does the wind go? Where will that air that moved my tree today be tomorrow? Next week?
I can be like that wind – can’t I, Dear Guides? To move simply, however I am pulled, toward wherever I am attracted, away from where I am unsettled and resisted – flowing, like all things, toward a Universal Form, toward Love.
I believe that, like gravity, there is a Universal pull toward Love. Yet, we cling so hard, so tightly, to what we know, convincing ourselves that the discontent and lack of fulfillment that we are grasping is a safer, and maybe better, place than the Unknown awaiting us if we just let go.
When we face something from the Unknown, it may seem very natural to become anxious, as we imagine stories of what might go wrong, how we might fail, and how others might judge us.
Just because you easily and readily identify Fears with your Unknown, please don’t assume that that is the only approach available to you. That is a learned response, an old, worn rut in your thinking. We can choose differently.
I’m going to share my own experience, Dear One; but, consider whether you recognize the old rut of fearful thinking in your own life.
When we were planning our wedding, talk came to our honeymoon. Joy mentioned going to Europe; I had never been out of the country.
And, for me, having never done it before had me believing that I was unable to ever do it. Never mind that so many people travel around the world every day; and that, for each of them, there was a first time, before which they, too, had never been out of the country.
No, here were my thoughts conjured about traveling to the Unknown – I could miss my flight; the plane could crash; I could lose my passport, or lose my wife. I could be stranded, lost and alone! – all of those thoughts ending in an “Oh, My God!” of catastrophic fear.
Why would I go?
All those thoughts came to me, without me even trying. What took a lot more effort was creating non-fearful thoughts – I’ll get to explore another country! I’ll see the Tuscany that I’ve read about in Frances Mayes’ books! I’ll find out for myself what Europeans are like! I’ll get to be a foreigner in a foreign land, playing with a foreign land, and experiencing foreign culture! Once I do it, I’ll never again have to say that I’ve never done it!
So – the reality is, challenging things could happen. And, some did. Our plane didn’t crash, but we did have some issues with trains and train schedules. But, in fact, one of those episodes has turned into one of our favorite stories of adventure and connection with some Italian locals. (A story I’ll share another time.)
When I made the effort to find stories that could be just as true, but served me better and helped set me free from my Fears – I dared into my Unknown. Not fearfully and timidly, but openly and excitedly, like the wind being blown to new lands all around the world.
Those times that I’ve dared – the A.T.; marriage; traveling, including to Europe; life coaching; relocating; and even smaller things like résumés and job interviews, and my paddling instructor training – have been the most memorable, important, and transformative times in my life, and my life has been the richer for them.
The simplest way to address our Unknown is to just do it that first time. Then, we know. And, if something about it appeals to us, then we can set about practicing it and going deeper. Either way, you break the spell; it will no longer be Unknown!
Here is Today’s Prompt, Dear One, for you to consider:
Think of something that you are afraid to try.
Take two minutes and write down a list of your fearful thoughts, all the ways you fear it could go wrong.
How many items did you come up with on your list?
Now, create a new list with just as many entries, writing ways that this thing could be great, fulfilling, and fun.
How long did it take you to imagine success and satisfaction, compared to trouble and failure?
Dear Guides, thanks for helping me create stories that serve me and set me free!
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