“A Change Is As Good As A Rest” as the saying goes and yet most people are fearful of change or being in a new environment or circumstance. It takes real courage to step out of the dominant culture – questioning its norms and values – and voice your concern that perhaps the old ways of doing something could be wrong or even harmful. For most people it is frightening to question other people’s dearly held assumptions and core beliefs.
I'll meet you there
Most people live lives of quiet desperation. Occasionally intuition/fate/life shakes the world in which we live, causing us to take immediate drastic action. Logic takes the passenger seat and the heart begins to steer your life in a weird and jumpy new direction – a direction in which you would never normally go. Everyone around you stops, stares, points and questions your motives. It’s almost impossible to put in words why you feel that things need to change; even your inner conversation is questioning your actions; and yet, you feel – a visceral, gut type of feeling – something is telling you that it’s time to step out of the secure, warm and safe environment and just experience … something else.
This ‘something’ is open-ended – you believe and trust with all your heart that this journey will be beneficial in some way and yet the path in which you tread is full of obstacles; barriers; above the weather is stormy and grey; you are hungry and cold; and yet your path seems to have a “Right-ness” to it.
Eventually a tiny light is seen in the distance through the fog and drizzle – finally, a sign that you’ve been proceeding upon an intended path which has been designed especially for you at this time. Before seeing the light, you began to question and re-question each of your core beliefs, but although differing levels of panic have been experienced upon the path, you had no choice but to carry on. Going back – retracing your steps along the path – became less and less viable the further you went on.
It can take a relatively long period of time to finally come to the conclusion that taking that journey, at that moment in time, was not only significant but also seen to be worthy of the pain and exclusion felt. These revelations build character; offer needed contrast; and provides a stable footing or foundation for the next path or paths forward.
Spiritually speaking, living a life – full to the brim of quiet desperation – is not what we are here for. The road to enlightenment – making courageous and intuitive decisions – is lined with deep pot-holes; dark and dangerous woodlands; major diversions and dead-ends; seemingly never ending roads and streets; traversing over rugged mountains; and trekking down through deep valleys. Giving up or turning back is no longer an option – the only ‘true’ way is forward and upwards until you finally arrive at the top of the mountain where you are greeted with a wonderful clear, blue sky; a serenity which makes your heart sing; and you are bathed in wonderful, warm sunlight – which is your truth.
“Out beyond ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing, there is a field. I will meet you there.” Rumi
