Recently, my husband and I went to Pt. Reyes for a few days to relax and rejuvenate. The first morning I woke up to find a confusing text from a friend asking me, “What did you say about me to Brad (not his real name)?” I have to admit that this was not what I wanted to wake up to on the first morning of my getaway.

Now one of the things I know about myself is that, too often, when someone asks me a vague question about something I’ve done, my immediate internal response is that I must have done something wrong. I’m not proud of this. I don’t like this about me. But sometimes, that is where my mind first goes. And to make matters worse, I can spin these thoughts around in my head for days on end. I’ve been working with these impulses for years. Nonetheless, when I got this text, that’s exactly where I went.

That morning, I could feel the physical response. Both my heart and throat got tight, and I felt anxious. I was in a bit of a panic with a good dose of self judgment. My next thought was that I needed to fix this right away.

However this was a text, and in texts there is often a lot of information missing. So I wasn’t even sure what was actually going on for my friend. I find this to be one of the most frustrating things about texts. People are trying to be brief, so they leave stuff out. Thus, the reader, in this case me, tries to fill in the missing pieces. This can be both a dangerous and an error-prone thing to do—guessing what might be going on for someone else based on an eight-word text. We fill in the missing bits from our default positions, which are often based on our own fears and insecurities.

Before responding I knew I needed to settle down a bit. So I meditated and wrote in my journal—activities that I am finding quite enlightening these days. Writing slowed me down and, in this case, helped me to remember that I am making up stories—guesses really—about other people. They may be educated guesses, but they’re still guesses. I realized I needed a more complete picture before going further into a tailspin, and before I responded.

As I continued to meditate, I felt truly grateful for the psychological and spiritual journey, that this event took me on. I ended up texting my friend back to let him know that I was away and would be happy to call him when I returned.

Through my contemplation, I found myself shifting to a sense of ease around the situation. I decided that, “today, I will be here and enjoy this beautiful place, with my husband, in this peaceful solitude.”

This whole experience reminded me to stay open to the wisdom of my spirit guides, and to all of my teachers, however and whenever they come. I ended up feeling, and sending, gratitude to my friend and feeling grateful for all of the obstacles—including surprising texts—on my path. They, too, are my teachers. And it is from these obstacles that I have the opportunity to grow more deeply into the spiritual being that I am.

The next morning, I meditated outside—all bundled up wth hat, coat and mittens. Despite the cold, it was too beautiful, quiet and inviting to meditate inside. This event came back, and my guides asked me, “what would the Dali Lama do in this situation?” Of course, I don’t actually know. But I suspect he wouldn’t have fallen into the same ditch as I did on this one. As I sat with his light and wisdom, I heard, “tackle the situation when you can, deal with the consequences, and move on. And don’t spend time worrying. There’s no point. Be present now!”

Some final thoughts:

• Don’t jump to conclusions
• Lessons come when we need them—not necessarily when we want them
• Remain open to the wisdom around us
• Sit, listen, breathe, write and take time to look at the situation
• Obstacles, and roadblocks, are our teachers
• Be present

Work with me

If you would like help with some of the obstacles and roadblocks in your life, contact me and we can schedule a session. I imagine your spirit guides will be happy to help. Let’s find out what wisdom they have to share.

A note about my blog

I have not posted a blog in many months. And I have missed that. I’d like to share my thoughts more regularly with you with the hope of opening a dialogue between us. So, if there are topics or questions that you are interested in, I would be delighted to hear from you.

What else I’m up to

~ I will be in the Gualala, CA area doing readings April 18-23. Please contact me if you are interested.

~ I recently read two books by Richard Rohr: Falling Upward and Eager to Love. I find his writing clear, interesting and inspiring.

~ We went from four years of drought to lots of rain this winter. Spring is here. I’m appreciating witnessing the plants thriving and the flowers blooming!

With love and light,