Change

“Life is like a garden, you reap what you sow.” Paulo Coelho When I was a young girl growing up

There are things that happen in our lives that truly shake us to the core and we are changed forever. For me, the past months have, indeed, shaken me and have changed my path moving forward. How do I know I have changed? I know because I feel softer, more

I’ve had a lot of unexpected opportunities in my life. Like most of you, I’ve followed through on some and not on others. I’m sure you can relate, right? But, whether I followed through or not, I’ve come to realize that these opportunities were usually related to goals I had created or intentions I had made. So, why did they seem unexpected and why did I follow through on some and not others? Maybe it’s because they came in a different “package” than what I had expected. Or, maybe it’s because they seemed even better than what I expected. Or, maybe they came at an unexpected time. Or, maybe I just wasn’t ready!

The last time I sent out a newsletter I talked about decision fatigue. Well, I still have it! Smile. Do you? There have been so many choices to make in so many areas that some days my head literally seems to spin. Not a pretty sight. And, guess what, I created it all! It was my decision to make all of these changes and I’m happy about every one. Nobody is to blame. Darn. So, I keep reminding myself that I consciously chose it and I’m in gratitude for the choice (especially when I want to scream).

My daughter, Allison, and her dog, Cheese, arrived in San Miguel on Tuesday. And, I have to say that I’m in awe of her courage and determination for this brave move. She has been living in Portland, Oregon for many years where she developed deep friendships and connections and a life filled with joy and purpose. As an Immigration lawyer, she facilitated the transformation of many people’s lives and developed a reputation as a gifted lawyer and speaker for human rights.

This has been an amazing year for me. I know it’s been a huge year for many of you as the world is speeding up and transforming in so many ways. So many changes. This year, I got married to the love of my life, Michael Bartlett, and we’re about to celebrate our one year anniversary on September 9th. Out of this marriage, I acquired 4 new step-children and 6 new grandchildren. We moved to the country, outside of San Miguel, and began a remodel on our house together. I survived serious health challenges. Since last July, two of my dearest friends died. And, I’ve also had employees come and go at LifePath.

As I prepare to lead the first Hero’s Journey Retreat of LifePath’s new stage, I’ve been thinking a lot about change. Why is it that we resist change so much? Perhaps because we feel that what we know protects us from uncertainty.

In this weekly space I have addressed the topic of change more times than I can remember. No matter how aware we are of the possibility of unexpected changes, they always surprise us. Some of these surprises are shocking and may not be entirely easy.

We’re working intensively these days in order to improve LifePath Center and provide our clients, guests and friends with even better attention and services.

The other day I found myself thinking that we (humans) might be the only species on Earth who gets to go back in order to move forward. It seems contradictory, I know – please allow me to explain.

Life is full of transitions. Just as the sunset marks the end of day and the beginning of night, many events in our daily lives signal subtle transitions that have become so familiar to us, that we hardly notice them. When we leave work, for example, our very facial expression transforms in a way that may only be noticeable to very few of our closest relatives or loved ones.

What a challenging couple of weeks we’ve had, wow. The main theme of 2016 seems to be impermanence. I had already noticed this shift a week ago, which is why the message last Sunday was about change. Even though change is always taking place one way or another, these past few days have been rather full of shocking news and unexpected transformations.

Whenever abrupt change comes into our lives, it shakes us to the very core. When the change is positive, however sudden, we tend not to think too much about it and we concentrate on feeling happy and grateful which is great. When the change is not that positive or when a painful incident (a loss, an accident, or even a close brush with death) takes place, we spend a long time trying to make sense of what our life truly means.

Here we are again: December. The end of the year. The piling-up of to-do’s. The multiple meetings, parties, cocktails, get-togethers, family reunions, etc. As usual, many of us are not mentally or emotionally ready for this season of deadlines, closures, balances, and all the rest of the activities that have become so typical of the last month of the year.

Now more than ever, each day I notice what a blessing it is to be flexible. Change is the very nature of the Universe – it’s always been there. Yet, for some reason, in these days of instant contact and faster-than-the-speed-of-light exchanges, I find that it’s become even more important to be flexible when it comes to our plans and rules.

When certain situations in our lives come to an end, sometimes it can be difficult to interpret their meaning.
When an end is abrupt and unpleasant, it leaves us with a feeling of uncertainty. We crave some kind of closure that may or may not come, because sometimes it’s not in our hands to reach it. In these situations, it’s common to fall into despair. We feel like something has been snatched from our hands, taken from us without warning. Sometimes, we may even feel deceived.

When we have our plate full – of projects, events, tasks, objects, etc. – it’s not possible to take on more, unless we’re willing to brave the risk of letting some things slide.

Let’s do a little, quick exercise. Ready? Ok, here it goes:
Think about five things you wish were different in your life, or in the world. Only five things.
Now, for each one, come up with one action you can execute that would help bring that change. Try to do it in less than five minutes – you can even write just the first verb that comes to mind for each one of the items on your list.