Let me
back up to the inspiration that seeded these changes. It
probably goes back to my whole life journey, but I’ll address the most recent significant
moment. It’s somehow coming clearer, as it always does in hindsight, that the
true catalyst was my trip to Greece in September, 2018. I have taken other
trips to paint, play and retreat, a respite from my professional work as a
coach, but this trip activated something bigger in me that wanted
expression. It wasn’t as much about the
art, as it turns out, as it became more about fresh awareness of my unfolding
spiritual and life journey (More about painting, insights, Astypalaia & adventures
in Greece to come).
Bottom-line,
I had the sustained experience of connection, grace and flow of staying in the present
moment. Yes, I’ve had
numerous experiences, glimpses and sporadic stretches of this kind of bliss,
but this was the longest, uninterrupted stretch to date for me. I was in my zone…aligned, in sync, at peace
and in gratitude for weeks. I knew at
some level it was not about the people, the place, the timing or the
activities, though it all certainly served (of course, I was on vacation,
right?). It was really about what is
possible for me to experience internally, no matter the outer environment and
circumstances, should I choose to accept the invitation to fully trust in the
present moment.
I came
back from Greece with a commitment to myself to pursue my dream of
doing my work virtually, as a global citizen, traveling, experiencing,
creating, communicating and sharing as I go (I’m a long way from retirement in
the professional sense, and it’s a long story I won’t be going into!). The spiritual piece is about trust for me. The emotional piece is about connection. The mental piece is about expansion, and the
physical piece is about the actual real time experiences. Oh yes, and the
communal is about synergy.
Watch
out what you wish for, dream of and intend! Life has a way of rearranging things to make
way to fulfill on those declarations! I rode that flow wave for several weeks
upon return from Greece, and then, layer by layer, the veil to all possibility thickened
and I was back into my familiar work/play rhythm. Not a bad place to be, particularly since I
love the work I do, my clients, friends and leisure activities . . . simply back to where
I left off. The downside was that I frequently
popped out of the moment and back into reminiscing the past and yearning for
something different in the future, i.e. not being present in the moment. How
did I get so serious! Eeck! That light touch seemed to drift further and
further away.