Where it all begins

One challenge that I encounter in writing is feeling like I come across as some “know-it-all” who is force-feeding you “ME” the whole time. Ugh, trust me that is not my intention! I owe so much to those that have come before me. Yet I do appreciate having gained the wisdom to share through potentially years, or months, or maybe just a moment of hard work (or play.)

None of us can do it alone. We need each other,  every “insignificant” one of us on the face of the planet affects the other. I use the term “insignificant” to suggest those in a position other than a teacher, role-model, or coach. In my passion and excitement in connecting with life coaches on the internet and reading blogs lately, I can sometimes feel a sense of separateness as I read them. In a ‘I-was-there-once-kid-so-let-me-tell-ya-how-its-done’ sort of tone. This is not my truth. I do not wish to proclaim that I am done, for I will always be learning and my truth is also in sharing that eternal process with you.

We are all in this together and learning from each other. It is my greatest intention to be on the same level as those I am helping, and to be seeking to raise us higher. I believe I can do this best by being 100% transparent. Full disclosure. Full honesty. Living and expressing my truth and in such, sharing my pitfalls and flaws. I have witnessed others being brave enough to do the same and I always learn from them in the process.

All of this is to say, that it all begins with each and every one of us. We are each other’s teachers. When we have formed a heart-bond, we will learn even more but even the people that we encounter in the grocery store, in lines, or traffic can share a myriad of information, all in perfect design for whomever happens to be there in that moment to witness it. We are all guided, in one massive symphony to resonate or display contrast in each other’s company.

I would like to give thanks to some of my greatest teachers. My gratitude for these experiences and teachers runs deep. They are at the heart of all the wisdom that I share, and they have all taught me in their own way that my wisdom is not “mine”at all, it is a gift. Ultimately that is why I must share it. I must give it freely so life may continue to create itself, as it does, infinitely.

Thank you:

• Suffering. Ah my prickly friend and greatest teacher. A favorite Eckhart Tolle quote of mine is: “Suffering is the light of consciousness.” Oh how it stings so beautifully sweet! My suffering truly is the only thing that has given me deep wisdom. It has been a treacherous path at times, but after a long hard climb, I am so grateful for the higher perspective and outlook on life. Yet I know there is more ahead so I am so very humble in this gratitude. Thank you.
• My mother and grandmother. My mother has induced a lot of my suffering, but her ultimate gift to me has been through her unconditional love. My mother was mentally ill, a codependent wife to an alcoholic (my step-dad), and ended up in a nursing home by the age of 55 in what I feel was a slow and unsuccessful attempt at killing herself after losing her husband in a tragic accident. Needless to say, I have learned a lot from this. Yet my point in bring it up is that she has suffered a great deal. She essentially lost all the freedoms in her life at a very young age. She could have reacted by being very angry and bitter. Instead, she shares more love and joy for every thing and every one in her life than anyone I know and that is NO exaggeration in the least. Thank you.
• My son. Loving him unconditionally has taught me what the human heart is capable of. I never knew how rich love could be before my dear boy. I also never felt a palpable range of what forgiveness and self-forgiveness, or the lack-thereof, could do to prevent or encourage energetic growth in the human-body until he was in my life. Thank you.
• Lori Tindall. I am a very blessed person and somehow I must have got something right in a lifetime somewhere down the line for the grace that brought her into my life. After being hit the hardest- my mother’s strokes and in the deepest pits of healing that my life has seen, I was blessed by her presence and lucky enough to explore Universal energy, reiki, and yoga with her. It seems as though we were both brought together by prayers; hers for a reliable massage therapist to lease a room and mine: something to save my life. Words will never express the gratitude in my heart. Thank you.
• Plant medicine. I am discovering the depths of consciousness and intelligence on our Earth and Universe and I have to thank the wondrous world of plants for their quiet and fragile place in that. If we listen to our selves long enough, we will discover we have so much to learn from them through our food, herbal remedies, supplements, beauty, environments, and in sacred practice. I have just begun to learn from you, but it is a life-long journey and one that I am sure that I have embarked upon life-times ago. Thank you.
• Yoga. I love you! You are the shit! My goodness the wisdom and energy that the ancient sages put forth thousands of years ago, that we are just now starting to “validate” with science… amazing! Yoga is Union, and it brings it all hOMe for me. Everything: spirituality, health, the mind, the body, our Universe. Oh…. Yoga, I love you, L O V E you. I laugh in writing this because I heard the words in my head: How silly… none of this would even *be* to thank, without yoga. 🙂 Ahh, I believe it to be true. Thank you.

In closing, who and what are your teachers? How have they played a role in giving you what you now give back to the world or wish to? Has someone unlikely helped you recently? Please share… 

This post inevitably made me think of this beautiful song:

Jai!