Stepping out of our routine, our daily lives and into a space and place that is not familiar can be, well, many things. It can be new and exciting. Things can go not according to plan and be challenging. But there is an invitation at least, to step out and trust that things will work out, and see what happens. To follow where you are being drawn to. I just returned from a road trip with my granddaughter and husband to Arizona late last night after two days there, plus a full day of driving each way.
Leaving the care of my cat, dove, and countless wild birds to someone else was a conscious choice, but required me to surrender control and “be” with all the feelings that were brought up. Feelings of gratitude for the freedom for me and also the care for these loving and dependent beings. Feelings of adventure but also the letting go of my role, my place in the world I have created. The awareness that I can be replaced and the world will go on without me. Life finds a way…
Handing over the wheel of my car to my 17 year old driver’s permitted granddaughter, was another kind of surrender. Letting go of the identity I place on her as “little” or someone I need to do things for, like driving; and replace that projection with one that is current, upgraded, and expanded. To invite and actually sanction her growth and readiness for more adult responsibility. To convey my confidence and trust in her judgement and ability, is a crucial stage for both of us, for all of us really!
And initially, that surrender felt like I was getting smaller,… But in reflection now, I actually feel more expansive. I feel more comfort and space around what is possible. Things that have had a certain routine, might happen differently. Timing could be more flexible, without it being an issue. Who knows how many new and undiscovered possibilities there are for things to happen! Who knows how different our own identities could be??? What kind of anonymity is available if we just open up enough to make space for it?
While away, at different times, I would imagine myself as someone else, anyone else. In Arizona the demographics are different than in Monterey, for sure. Most people didn’t wear masks, there were Trump 2020 flags in store fronts, restaurants offered inside dining and were packed. There were ATV’s and RV’s everywhere and vehicles pulled just off the highway in random places. As if there were “no rules” so to speak. The landscape was extremely different, more arid and desert terrain. My sense of “how things are” was challenged, causing me to check in with myself and see was I just following along or how personally informed and committed was I to the routines and practices I invested in?
Coming home, I wondered how I might hold onto some of that anonymity? After all, I COULD be anyone I chose to be! Right? Clearly, our days and lives are made up of strings of choices we make. Perhaps we go through a bit of a rut out of sheer momentum, but the option is there. And now, there is so much “wind at out back” supporting new, innovative, and expansive energy in our world. The thought of that makes me want to “set my sail” in a direction I’ve been wanting to travel! To step out. Out of the shadows, the routines, the “norm” whatever that has been. How about you? Are you feeling this? Does this resonate at all?
I appreciate the opportunity to step out of my norm in all of the many shades of color and texture I found. It has left me feeling empowered in a new way. All of the ways I have shared plus just the act of going out on this buying trip for gems and crystals; to go direct to the source! And to find treasures I wouldn’t have otherwise.