As we are all unique in our experiences and what is true for us at this time, they can spark recalled memories or create new inspiring thoughts. Whatever comes up for you may also speak to your values in terms of honoring them or how you are currently in discord with them. I invite you to read ahead, allowing your unconscious mind to naturally find the value it will create for you.
A friend of mind was going through a period in her life where things had slowed down a bit. She was conducting workshops only every few weeks, completed a work related training program she had been involved in for a year, and had been separated from her husband for a while with no clear answer of what to do with her marriage. She asked herself what she would want to do with her time over the next few months, and the answer she heard from within was to go on a trip to Central America. One of the things on her list of dreams and had wanted to do for many years.
She knew she wanted to go to Costa Rica then traveling north, and she also knew that she wanted to do some volunteer work with women during her trip. She bought her ticket and was preparing to leave for two months, all the while sending out emails to contacts to arrange for some volunteer work ahead of time. With no success or clear answer, and her destination date set, she headed to the airport and began her journey. While in Costa Rica, another check mark was placed in front of an item on her list of yet unfulfilled dreams. She paddled out on a board and learned how to surf.
Over the next week or two she would jump online as often as she could, sending emails to see where the adventure would take her to do volunteer work. With a clear intention, she just happened to meet someone who referred her to a women’s center in El Remate, a town in Guatemala. During the same short laptop session, a quick correspondence took place between her and the women’s center saying they would love to have her. After rerouting herself to El Remate, she was presented to a group of local women. When asked what they would like her to help them with, she was surprised by their answer.
Like the surprise I got when driving behind an old, red Volkswagen Jetta on Fountain here in LA, heading towards The Edge to take a dance class. I watched the car in front me while stopped at a red light, noticing the head of the female driver bop around. It was as if she was rocking out to music in her car. For a moment, I was quickly tapping into my imagination, trying to guess who she might be listening to.
When the light turned green, her car didn’t move as if someone pushed on the gas pedal. Instead, it simply glided forward and over to the right. It strangely looked as if the car parked itself against the curb and just stopped. Curious, I drove by slowly. What I saw was something I wasn’t prepared for, and reacted to it without needing preparation.
What I realized is that she had a seizure, hence the head bopping. She was foaming at the mouth, eyes closed and head dangling towards the driver side window. I immediately parked anywhere I could, in an attempt to call 911 which felt like 100 times. I couldn’t get through and remember throwing my phone on the floor out of frustration. I jumped out of my car and ran to the nearest apartment. I’m sure I scared the heck out of the younger tenants of the nice Spanish speaking family who answered the door. The older son understood what I was attempting to communicate, I needed their phone!
There were some other nice passersby who helped me until the ambulance got there. One of them helped me prop up the girl’s head, which was suggested to me by the person who answered my 911 call. They slowly all dispersed while I waited until I knew that she was being taken care of by the paramedics. I was scared though…what if I had waited too long and she had brain damage from lack of oxygen?! I was afraid that her tongue may have obstructed her air passage, a fear that created a pit in my stomach.
Like the nervous, anxious feeling I get in my stomach when I’m running late to things. I hate getting anywhere late. This is especially true when on my way to events where I am speaking in front of an audience. Technically I wasn’t running late, I just wanted to make sure I had enough time to set up and prepare, leaving a little bit of cushion to be able to relax and ground myself.
I was running through my head all the different ways I could have gone that morning. Maybe I should have chosen a different route? In the meantime, I’m inching a little bit every minute or two, hoping that traffic would let up. So I turn to my car stereo to try and relax, distracting my attention by listening to some music that has a playful beat to it. As I’m listening to my Curtis Mayfield CD, I realized what was happening in that moment.
We are so busy trying to get somewhere and rushing through our day to do what we need to do, that we sometimes miss what’s right in front of us. The unconscious loves symbols, and there is so much symbolism in our lives that gets passed over based on what we are focusing on. We may miss opportunities where we can connect with others or be of service and assistance.
By tapping into our passions and knowing what we want, we can manifest our dreams into reality, often in ways that surprise us. Since we get what we focus on in life, and always without question, focus on what you want! Ask yourself, “What am I inspired to do?” Then ask, “How can I do more things with intention?” This is important because intended action happens from inspiration, and inspiration is having clarity in knowing what you want. Being inspired to do something is more powerful than being motivated. Motivation is doing something because you feel you have to, and comes from potential unwanted consequences.
What do you want for yourself, and what do you want to see more in the world around you? It’s surprising when we learn all the ways we can help others that in turn will fulfill our own dreams. Inspiration can also arrive in a flash where we get to help someone else and feel good about ourselves too. Sometimes it’s just serendipity, a simple reminder that we are exactly where we are supposed to be.
Like the chorus in the Curtis Mayfield song being pumped through my speakers. In the very instant that I became aware of what the words were, there was a woman with her blinker on trying to get in front of me to move into the lane I was in. I heard “trying to get over, trying to get over….” over and over. I let out a funny giggle and had to play the song again, just to make sure that was what I heard, as I was witnessing it in front of me.
I let her over and started to relax, and realized that if I start a little late and don’t have as much time as I usually do, it will all be just fine. The second time I heard the song I experienced the humor of the message I was getting. Before I knew it, the traffic loosened up and I was about to make a right hand turn onto Venice Boulevard and ended up getting there just a few minutes later than I had intended.
Just like the yoga class I went to check out at the 24 hour fitness near the Arc Light Theatre on Sunset. I had never taken a class there before and just started to go workout at that location. I found a spot on the floor after everyone else had scurried into the room and quickly rolled out their mats. Unfortunately where I ended up sitting, was behind a pole so I had a hard time seeing the teacher. The music started and I heard this really sweet voice start to talk to all the participants about taking a deep breathe.
As I tried to look around the pole and see what she was demonstrating, I couldn’t believe my eyes and was almost in doubt. Could it be?! The woman who was teaching the class was also the girl in the red Jetta. Come to think of it, she was in workout clothes when she had her seizure. I waited around after class and approached her. As I introduced myself and started to say hello, I then began to recite the occurrence of driving behind her when her face lit up. She called me her angel and offered to do something to thank me for saving her life. I politely declined and just responded with happiness seeing that she was completely okay.
Similar to the comfort my friend had when the women asked her to help them build and plant vegetable gardens. She of course jumped on board and before she knew it, she had appointments over the next few weeks, planting 40 gardens in 25 days. It was on her birthday, while she was pouring some seeds into the ground that she had an epiphany and began to tear up. What she stands for is the end of world hunger. What better way than co-creating self sustainability for a woman to grow her own vegetables to feed her family.