- Maureen O'Hara, Miracle on 34th Street
This Summer, in the midst of financial crisis that overwhelmed us, I knew we wouldn't be doing anything for my "landmark" birthday in December. Common sense told me that that though I had set an intention for my family to travel this year, there was no possible way. On top of that, three work trips I had booked for summer were cancelled. It just seemed to be the way my luck was going.
But then I decided to step out of my rut and change my perspective.
For the past several months I have prayed, meditated or journaled every day, and made a conscious choice to:
* keep my focus on what I want, instead of what I don't have.
* Feel gratitude for all the beauty in my life, instead of worrying about the things that were going wrong.
* Stay centered in who I am rather than letting negativity and rejection get the best of me.
Through daily meditation, I became a more patient mom. A happier, less overwhelmed wife. The brick walls that I kept hitting all year began to erode, and doors began to open. In October, I was able to take the kids along on Troy's Wilson Phillips gigs in Vegas and Disneyworld, FLA. We had two incredible family vacations full of happy memories. For free.
Today is the final day of my most recent 21-Day Meditation Experiment. I'm centered. Positive. Hopeful. Oh, and Troy and I are leaving for JAMAICA. For FREE. And I'll wake up there on my birthday.
I won't say it's an outright miracle, but my life has definitely shifted since I changed my energy.
Here's how it happened. Recently we got a phone call from close friends of ours. Through their work, they were gifted an all inclusive, all-expenses-paid trip to Jamaica, but they didn't want to go (I know, I couldn't believe it either). They knew we loved Jamaica, so they gave the trip to us. And it just happens to be the week of my birthday.
My common sense did not see that coming.
There really is something to the energy we create in our lives. Positive attracts positive, negative attracts negative. Meditation keeps me living in the positive, even when negative is whirling around me.
Whether or not there is any magic to it, I have seen logically that life just works better when I'm focused on the positive. So I will keep meditating, and keep my gratitude journal full. I will trust that things will work out, even when I can't see it in my own limited mind.
I will have faith, even when common sense tells me not to.
"I believe...I believe..."
Natalie Wood, Miracle on 34th Street
I love it. Have a beautiful time. Happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope you have a beautiful time, too.
DeleteMorning Hollye, What a powerful telling, thanks for sharing. It reminded me of similar stories in my own life and though at the time I was not as mindful or focused on bringing something to me, I found that even my own non-organized thoughts of what I hoped to happen often seemed to help those very things unfold. Quite a few years ago I was coming up on a significant operation to have a knee replacement. My daughter in law, in her early thirties at the time, had just completed a brutal lie-threatening battle against bone cancer in her jaw and she wanted badly to be with me when I faced my own medical issue. I had been with her for her 14 hour surgery and the previous year of chemo she had endured. My husband and I had become extremely close with her both in the care and love extended to her and to her very young daughters ages 7 months and 4 years old. It turned out that her Mom wanted to come with her to help out during my surgery and recovery. Though I liked her Mom a lot, I felt daunted by the idea. They lived at a distance from me and the plan was they would stay in my home during their trip to help. Each day I found myself thinking about this dilemma. While I was thankful for their sweet desire to help me, I felt like having them both was a burden. Feelings of vulnerability and fear about the surgery & recovery were my daily companions. I wanted just my daughter in law to come by herself which was the thought that most comforted me. About 2 weeks before my scheduled surgery, her Mom got a call from a friend who offered her a scuba diving trip to Costa Rica for no cost to her whatsoever, but the dates collided with my surgery date. The Mom was a huge fan of diving and going to Costa Rica was a dream come true. When she called to let me know of her dilemma and her struggle to choose what to do, can you imagine how wonderful it felt to say: Please go, do what it is you most want to do. I could hardly believe the relief I felt. Later when I was talking with a friend of mine who happens to be a therapist, to my surprise she said…It's amazing how powerful you are. I was confused by her statement, but she felt sure that my thoughts had helped create the situation that unfolded in the way that it did. It felt uncomfortable to take on the idea of that. Almost like it was too much to consider that each of us can influence our lives to such a significant degree. And yet, there are countless examples just in my own life of exactly that happening. It's fascinating to read about your experience, thanks for sharing it. Happy trails to you and Happy Birthday too!
ReplyDeleteI love hearing that story. Just confirms what we already know...
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