Morning Coffee – Choices

This lesson about the power of choice is really up in my face this morning as I sip my cup of coffee. I have plenty of time to think these days as I focus on the change I am in the midst of.

For example, I just chose the photograph with the hearts in the foam because I recently made a choice out of love for self and in support of my good health.

Yesterday, I thought a lot about how, by making that choice, I definitely changed the events that were on the horizon for myself if I hadn’t made the decision I did. I will be in a different house than I’d anticipated. I will be in a different town, even. The changes came with lightning speed, within the span of about 36 hours.

I thought the path was laid out, and thought I knew where I was going. All of that shifted because of a choice, a difficult choice, I decided to make. I am exceedingly grateful that the problem manifested itself before I was so far down that path I could not extricate myself from the situation.

The turning point was in the moment of discovery. The choice was to continue down that path (because what would they think if I – all of a sudden – I decided not to live there) or to take into consideration the ramifications if I didn’t do the difficult thing and just say “no”. I said yes to myself.

What this meant is I had to undo some actions I had just taken earlier in the week. It also meant I had to find another place to live, and soon. I did the non-logical thing and sacrificed another day of packing to go in search of a place to live.

Long story short, I did find a spot, and things are back on track, but now I have a ton of catching up to do. All of what has transpired in the past few days has just had me really thinking about how, by making what seems to be an unimportant choice, the entire trajectory of our lives can be changed.

The prospect of being entirely responsible, at the ego level, for fulfilling my Soul’s purpose is rather disconcerting to me. Perhaps you have the same concerns. My suggestion is to pray about it, to ask for guidance when making decisions.

I was left with no other alternative than to get really focused on the present moment, and to follow every soft whisper I heard no matter how faint. It worked. But that is a story for another day. I have work to do.

When you make a choice, you change the future. ~Deepak Chopra

All original material posted to this site is (c) 2013, Julie Marie. All rights reserved.

Photo credits: Wikipedia

Notes from My Road Less Traveled – Chapter 6 (cont)

About a week after I honed in on my location, I decided it was time to take a road trip. Thank goodness, it was only a tank of gas’ worth of fuel, round trip.

I spent that first day mostly just driving all around the town. When I found out that it would cost me over $50- to place an ad in the area papers, I decided to make some phone calls. A call to one of the local realtors yielded a list of people who had rental houses in town. They also recommended that I call the Chamber of Commerce, which I did. That got me a few more names.

I called them all. Some responded, some did not. Some of the ones who did didn’t have anything for me to look at. Cross them off the list. Some did have some places. I started making arrangements to see them. I needed to get a feel for what was available in this town and what the price range was.

I got there early for my first appointment that first day, so I put myself on autopilot and began to follow where I was being led. I spent about two hours that day driving around and getting acquainted with the area.

There were definitely some better feeling areas of town, and the prices for rent went up (or down) accordingly. I must have seen at least a half-dozen places that first day. I decided to just follow the energy where ever it led me, and I didn’t discount any offering until I’d actually seen it. I even called another number that I got off signs I kept seeing in the front yards of the houses for sale, and there are a lot of homes for sale in this little town.

The other thing I learned very quickly is that they don’t often post a sign on the property if it’s up for rent. It’s mostly word of mouth, so you sort of have to know somebody who knows somebody who has a place if you want anything decent to live in.

I wasn’t taken with any of the places I saw that first day, but did have a gentle urging to stop at the one grocery store in town to check the bulletin board. I had had success with similar tactics some years earlier. I remember talking to myself in my head as I pulled into a parking spot. “Yeah, sure, there will be a lead there, probably just your wishful thinking anyway, what have you got to lose it’s only going to take a minute to walk in there and check it out…”

So I did. To my surprise – yes,  I still get surprised by these things, despite having them happen to me for a couple of decades now – there was a handwritten notice on the board about a house that was available for rent. I took down the number and called it.

It took the woman about 30 minutes to drive in to meet me there, but I felt it was worth the wait. I found it funny that I had driven right past the house earlier in the day, but hadn’t noticed the “For Rent” sign in the window. Is the place my dream house? No. Will it work for me and is it in alignment with my stated goals at this time? Yes.

The woman told me I would hear from the person with the final authority that evening. That sort of caught me off guard a bit. Spirit had led me here, so what was this all about? I decided I’d keep looking and let things just fall out however they were going to. I made arrangements to see another house but could not gain entry until the following weekend.

The owner of the little house I’d seen did call that evening and said he’d need to meet me before he could make a decision. I said I’d be back up the following weekend, but was not willing to make an extra trip just to look him in the eye. He said someone else was looking at it. I figured if it was my place, it would still be available and I decided not to let fear rule.

When I went up the following weekend, I was not able to get in the house I’d driven up there to see. The landlord there gave me the name of someone else who had a place, so I went to look at it. Right size, but too much work to make it energetically comfortable for me. I received one other reference about a place, and just to be thorough, went to see it as well.

It was magnificent. Circa 1910, leaded glass windows, huge rooms, hardwood floors, double car garage, updated kitchen with granite counter tops and brushed stainless steel appliances. Stunning. Perfect. My dream house, for sure.

I was headed out of town pondering these two latest prospects, but noticed I had a missed call on my cell phone. I pulled over and checked the phone call. It was from the fellow with the little house Spirit had led me to. “What the heck,” I thought, “I’m here, might as well go meet the guy.” So I turned the car around and drove to the house.

I took another good hard look at it. The rent was a little more than the prevailing market price for a similar sized house, but less than I was already paying. That was one of the things I had asked my finding angels to bring me: a suitable place that would allow me to tighten my belt a little more.

I didn’t get the pop quiz Spirit had given me until I was on my way home that day. It is important to remember that when we set an intention for something, often we will be offered other alternatives (in this case, it was the beautiful ‘dream house’ that would have left me in exactly the same situation as I am in now: too much house for my needs). It is not that Spirit is trying to confuse things. We are being given the opportunity to declare that indeed, we do want what we said we wanted.

I took the smaller, clean house and turned down the beautiful big house half of which I would not have even used. The smaller house is the place that Spirit had led me to. Twice. Once when I drove past it and didn’t see the sign in the window, and once when I had the inclination to stop in the store and look at the bulletin board. Thank you, finding angels, for finding a way to point me in the right direction.

It is easy to tell a person how to live life this way. It is much harder to actually live it. I saw the signs, and had the choice whether to follow them or not. I chose to follow them. All of them, no matter what. I struggled with my logical mind a couple of times, and almost didn’t make that last stop at the house I will soon be living in.

But Spirit – and by that I mean my guides, my guidance, my angels and my Higher Self – kept trying to lead me where I had asked to go. Eventually I found my way there. So can you.

The take away from my story is this: just keep moving forward. Don’t give up. As long as you can hold your intention and persevere despite how things may look, you will find your way.

And don’t forget that there can be a pop quiz at any moment!

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by; and that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost

All original material posted to this site is (c) 2013, Julie Marie. All rights reserved.

Photo credits: Wikipedia

Without Knowing Why…

I Surrendered

I promised myself a retreat, and I gave myself one.  From 12/20/12 to 12/22/12, I stayed off-line and did not speak to anyone.

I had planned to give myself some quiet time away from my usual environment, but that was not to be – at least not this week.

Notes from My Road Less Traveled-Chapter 5

Familiar Territory

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I used to spend days, sometimes weeks, in my car driving from place to place across (mostly) the middle of this country drawing energy lines creating geometric shapes that I suspect were, or still are, part of some sort of energetic grid the purpose of which escapes me.

It was hard work. It was pretty lonely work. It was deeply satisfying work. I knew this solitary effort was making a difference somehow. I also knew that if I was to understand the purpose for my thousands of miles of meandering, I would be given the information. I am still waiting for that insight.

Notes From My Road Less Traveled-Chapter 4

They Say You Can Never Go Home Again

Mount Rainier (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just returned from a road trip to the West Coast.  It was a long and winding road (what a great title for a song!) and I stopped at many familiar places along the way.  I had the chance to spend a couple of days with a friend I haven’t seen in over a decade.  I wondered if the connection would still be there.  It was.  We picked up right where we left off as if it were yesterday.  It is good to know that no matter how much time may pass, or how much distance may come between us, the bond we forged and the love we have for each other survives. And they say you can never go home again, but I would disagree with that assertion, at least sometimes.  For that brie visit, it was as if I had never left. I felt like I was home again.

On The Importance of Asking for Validation

Validation is a Valuable Tool

It’s very difficult when first learning to navigate your life in this way to know whether you’re even on track with it or not.  One of the things that helped me the most was understanding that I could ask for, and would receive, validation in some form or another about the principle or the idea I was working with.  All I had to do was ask.

In the beginning, the validation most often came in the form of books.  I would work a principle, I would get my insight, and I would feel the urge go to the local bookstore. I did not realize it at the time, but I was following the energy that was leading me to the validation I was seeking.

Often, I would be drawn to a book.  I didn’t have to buy it, or read it.  I usually just had to open it up.  Most of the time, what I opened up to was somehow related to what ever it was I was working on at the time.  Sometimes, the book would literally jump off the shelf, which made my job really easy.