Saying YES

Sometimes things just fall into place perfectly. Without thinking about it, we say “yes” to a current and it carries us to the exact place we need to be. We recognize it not because the final outcome is overly extraordinary but because the pieces fit together so well. We follow our feet and they simply carry us to the next leg of the journey. Every one of us has a guide that knows exactly where we should go.

At a time in my life when my wheels were spinning and I was getting nowhere, a close friend asked, “Do you know anyone out west you could visit?” I had been wanting to visit my aunt in Tucson so I booked a flight on a whim. While I was there, we took a road trip to Sedona and spent hours hiking in search of a particular spot that was special to her. Just as we were about to leave, we found it. The next week when I was home and back in my routine, I pulled a random book off the shelf in the library. I realized I knew the author. She was a local shaman whose daughter had attended the school where I taught. Later that week when I was reading the book, it referred to a particular spot in Sedona that appeared to her the first time she meditated. It was the magical spot my aunt and I had found that day.

The story doesn’t end there but as I am writing, I realize that the details are not what makes an impression. The miraculous thing about it is that I was naturally receiving everything I didn’t even know I needed. I booked an appointment with the shaman and saw my own potential in her. My renewed relationship with my aunt became one of my only sources of support as I grieved the loss of an old life and actively created a new one. All of this happened because I said, “Why not?”

I have felt currents of flow which have been intense and addicting. There was a time when every song I heard on a four hour car ride spoke to my soul as though the universe was communicating with me directly. As I allowed myself to remain in that high, I nearly lost my mind quite a few times. I had to learn the importance of grounding in the moment. At points, it takes all of the strength I have to find what is right under my nose. Sometimes I have to narrate what is actually happening as I am drifting off: “I am getting laundry out of the dryer. I am putting it in a basket. I am carrying the basket to my room.” Just the conscious awareness of physical reality brings me back down to Earth.
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The sweet spot is in the middle. There is a place between Heaven and Earth where we can reside and experience absolute perfection. Buddhists refer to it as the middle way. It requires awareness and letting go of a particular expectation as we recognize impermanence. I think of this place as a spot within each of us. Of the seven main chakras, the lower three allow us to have a more physical experience while the upper three give us a more universal or spiritual experience. The heart is what connects the two in the center.
Living a life centered in love, we say “yes” to every experience. In everything, we find something that holds hope and propels us forward. In the darkest times, there is always a tiny spark of light to be found. All we need to do is recognize it, focus on it and move forward. The current of love will always take us where we need to go. When we choose to embrace whatever comes our way, we find a perfect path where every step is a miracle.