Gazing in the Mirror

March 21 - Always Taken Care Of

The most important decision we
make is whether we believe we live
in a friendly or hostile universe.
~ Albert Einstein

Every desire of my thought and
heart is satisfied in the Truth.
I do not long for anything nor feel
the lack of anything.
~ Ernest Holmes

It is a choice to see Life in that "friendly" way of course. Our reality is highly colored by our beliefs about it. I was musing about that this morning. My friend, Kathy Drue, had written in her WordPress blog (Lake Superior Spirit) with the title – "We crazy kids drive off during a Winter Storm Warning". In it she talks about how she and her husband had taken off in the midst of a winter storm warning for reasons that were not actually "necessary". They drove 80 miles to the city of Marquette, MI to buy summer clothes for an upcoming vacation to Florida and enjoy an overnight fling on the town. She suspected he was feeling let-down by the end of the ice fishing season. She quotes herself as exclaiming "It's a miracle! It's a miracle! No snow!". She tells us about their night at the hotel watching TV – "Such a luxury for we TV-less folks! We quickly bored of the endless ads and the sudden feeling we live in Desperate Times after listening to the news".

Her story prompted me to share my own – "I haven't forgotten the time I did that – drove off 80 miles north with an Ice Storm warning on Feb 21st. I watched the weather forecast anxiously for days". I tried to re-schedule my appointment with my doctor but couldn't. I stressed some more. My husband said, "If you wake and it's bad just cancel". That felt reassuring. So, I woke up and there was absolutely nothing there to dissuade me – it was dry with not a sign of worrisome weather. However, I encountered "the worrisome weather" about half-way into my drive up to the city of St Louis MO. It started getting really bad when I went to complete my second errand there. The snow plows couldn't keep up. There were 3 lines of tire track travel crawling on a 5 lane interstate. My husband called my cell phone to tell me – "it's really bad at home now too". The worst of the ice storm seems to have been between St Louis and my home. My husband and I discussed that I might be able to stay with a friend who lives in St Louis but I couldn't reach her.

I ended up getting a hotel room nearby with nothing for an overnight stay with me. My friend called me later at the hotel. She had woke late that day and had left so hurriedly that she left her cell phone at home, something she claimed to never do. We talked about the luxury I unexpectedly found myself within – that of being alone. I watched the coverage of extreme weather-related crash events taking place all over the city of St Louis because the weatherman kept preempting the normal programming on TV to bring us the latest sensation (we are also TV-less at home). I am grateful I decided to wimp out and didn't try to get home. Fortunately for me there was restaurant only a short walk away from the hotel that remained open and I had to die for Salmon Cakes made in a wood-fired oven for my supper.

And what a difference one overnight stay makes !! The roads were all totally cleared. The worst part of my trip home was just getting up the very last hill on the dirt road which had not yet been plowed since school had been cancelled and the school bus didn't have to come in to pick up a neighbor boy. It was definitely less expensive and way less stressful to stay the night than it would have been to pay repair bills or get medical treatment. My friend Kathy wrote me after reading my own story on her blog – "Wow, what a story you shared on my blog! That was indeed a crazy trip. We really do have to take these warnings seriously most of the time. It seems like the Universe wanted to give you a treat with your solo overnight stay. And, apparently, the Universe was really good to us this trip, too. We made it there and back with no problems. Just a little slush on the road on the way home today".

I replied – "In hindsight, YES, I believe that The Universe wanted to show It's love by giving me a treat. Honestly, it was the nicest little suite, very modern with two big flat-screen TVs and a little sitting area and full glass doors at the bathroom. The only thing lacking was a tub to soak in, as my friend had suggested for me. The restaurant was such a treat, I want to take my family back there someday. It was VERY scary, the whole trip, BEFORE I decided to surrender to staying there. It was the worst storm in 2 years or more, I believe I remember them saying. It was FUN, being in the midst of the "news", as a participant – snowed-in, unplanned and unexpected. The weather sometimes gets all hyped up; and then, nothing happens. I actually hoped for that. Now, it is a very personal, private memory of being loved – by my husband, enough to care about MY welfare first; and by Source, to gift me in the midst of what some could have felt victimized by and be called misfortune".

So the truth here is that we can have whatever experience we choose and what we choose really makes no difference as long as we are open to receive our good in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. We are always free to choose to trust the Universe or we can fight mightily against the reality of what is unfolding. I believe there are always little prompts. I could have insisted on resisting the prompts to stay overnight. Maybe I would have made it home safely and maybe something would have happened to my vehicle or maybe I would have even been injured and that too would have been only a different experience. If we are open to change and willing to follow new paths – joy and fulfillment await us. If we truly believe that the Universe is a "friendly place" then we will know that Spirit is within everything that happens. Our inner guidance will get us through any situation.

~ perspective

Most of the time I am able to
remember now to trust the Universe
to take care of me and I find that
it is so – I am always provided with
whatever I need.
I realize that although some things
appear "negative" on their surface
there is always something going on
behind that which is creating space
for something new to emerge.
I perceive that I live in a friendly
Universe that responds personally to me.
I know that I always have a choice
about how I respond to circumstances.
I try to remain open to new possibilities
so that I co-create my Life knowing
that I am always taken care of and
always provided for regardless of
whatever actually happens.

#care #choice #guidance #provision #reality #safety #storms #stress #surrender #trust