As I sit here tucking into my maple pecan oat scone, propped up on a stool in Starbucks (I know Starbucks has its detractors but personally I’m a fan
- they make everyone welcome, provide much needed public restrooms for all, and I love their mochas!!) it occurs to me it’s time to make a conscious effort to give gratitude.
Since arriving in this beachside town here in California I have struck up conversations with quite a few men whom I presume to be homeless. The two young guys were unemployed - seeming victims of the economic woes of the country - while the older ones veterans of one war or another. Almost all of them missing a significant number of teeth.
So, unsurprisingly, as I chow down on my oh-so-sweet pastry it occurs to me to be grateful. In addition to all the obvious things, for which I am grateful but just won’t waste your time itemising here, there are two things for which I will be forever grateful. They are interrelated, both operating in tandem to enable me to live the life of my own choosing.
For those of you who do not know me it is perhaps worth mentioning that five years ago the love of my life, the man who made life beautiful, fun, and funny for 20 years, died. Without him I was no longer who I thought I was, and my life looked nothing like it had for the last two decades. A tidal wave of grief washed the decks of my life clear, taking all my history, my whole sense of self, tipping my overflowing cup out and forcing me to create myself, and my life, anew.
There have been two things that have enabled me to recreate my life - and not just a life, but one that is exciting, full of fabulous companionship (I reckon I have some of the best friends in the world!), adventure, travel and exploration, long sleep-ins (now that I’m no longer responsible for anyone other than myself) and plenty of lying around doing absolutely nothing other than daydreaming (oh, and of course, Bejewelled!!). But best of all, much laughter.
The first is the physical, mental, emotional, intellectual and spiritual freedom to think and do whatever I choose. My life, is exactly that: my life. It is entirely my own creation. Everything in it, including me, is the sum result of all my preferences and choices, my desires, and my thoughts and actions.
This is intensely liberating. I get to choose what I do, when and where I do it, and whatever anyone else thinks about it is irrelevent. This is possible for everybody, it’s just that not many people realise it. We are so afraid to colour outside the lines drawn for us by others that we rarely venture outside of the known and familiar parameters and we allow fear to dictate the terms of our existence.
Don’t misunderstand me - I would probably never have ventured out there if the events of my life had not forced me. But now that I’m out here on the wonderfully free and fanciful fringes of life, I can only say I’m glad I’m here. It is where true freedom reigns.
The other thing I’m grateful for, from the very depths of my heart and soul, is the Universe’s miraculous capacity to provide the guidance, inspiration, instruction, comfort and support whenever I need it. What I know now, but didn’t always understand, is that all I have to do is ask for it.
It’s as simple as that. Just ask. You don’t have to ask anyone in particular, you don’t have to prostrate yourself on all fours with nose to the ground, hold your hands in any particular way, use specific words or tone. Just ask.
I once heard that every problem contains its solution. Every answer we are looking for is there, waiting to be sought and recognised. It might not come in a form we want ( but we soon realise that we get what is best for us) but it will be everything we need in this moment to take us to the wisdom, truth, peace and love that we are all seeking.
How do we recognise the answer? After asking, just listen, and the first thought that comes to mind is the answer. This is a guaranteed, foolproof approach that has survived the test of time (remember Jesus said “Knock and ye shall find”). The only thing that can interfere with the flow of inspiration is our own inability to listen and follow what we are told. We allow our fears and left brain biases to interfere with the process.
All I can suggest is to try it. Next time you are unsure what to do, or how to do it, just ask. The answer is, as Bob Dylan so poetically penned for all eternity, “blowin’ in the wind.” In other words, it’s just there, poised, waiting to rest on our consciousness and penetrate our souls.
The wisdom of the Universe is available to us all, it is our Source and Origin, so use this marvellous resource. Set aside your scepticism, your doubt, your fear, and just ask.
