Recently I spent three weeks on the road discovering what life wanted to show me. I use the term, “what life wanted to show me” because this was an unplanned trip that I was willing to step into without any expectations. What began as a conversation with my mother about her desire to visit a friend in Arizona turned into a three-week road trip, and I was going with her…in two days!
This was a big decision for me because I’m a planner, and a three-week trip needs more than two days to plan…so I thought. After waking on Tuesday in a panic over my decision of saying, “yes” to this crazy idea, I quickly snapped myself back to the excitement of a spontaneous adventure. I saw the opportunity of letting go of the uncertainty and fear by saying “yes” to something that showed up for me. In the past I would have passed on a similar situation suggesting I needed more time to prepare and plan. The feeling of not having enough time would have determined my decision to say “no thanks”. Fortunately, through my practice of awareness, I was able to place those feelings in their proper place, which had nothing to do with my spontaneous decision to take the trip, but more with “control” in planning a trip. Life showed up to offer me this great adventure and I had no right to walk away from the opportunity because of my own issues.
Life is a beautiful expression of all great things, and it will always try to demonstrate the gifts it has to offer each of us. We have to decide if we are willing to participate by flowing with the current of its expression, which shows up when we are ready or not, or fight against the current by placing our own obstacles in the path of opportunity and adventure. We all know it is much harder to swim up stream, so challenge yourself to be aware of spontaneous invitations and fully participate in the life that is available to you.
In case you were wondering…Our trip was amazing!
We traveled to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. In Oklahoma we visited Cherokee Kin, and researched ancestors that dated back to 1820. We toured sites such as Superstitious Mountain, Gold Mines, Cherokee Heritage Center, Sequoyah’s Cabin, Bath houses in Hot Springs, Arkansas (built in 1911), and the Acoma Pueblo Indian’s Sky City which is the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America. With great food, and the occasional splurge of Braums Ice Cream to cool us from the hot weather, we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. This spontaneous “YES” taught me to accept life’s offers by being open to the adventure of what it has to show me. It was much more than I could have ever planned.
Say YES to Life!
