Postcard from Asheville
November 2010
Living in the mountains, you would think I’d be more attuned to nature. But I get so caught up in my day-to-day “doing” that I often forget to stop and appreciate the intense beauty that surrounds me. Not this fall.
I am in a constant state of awe. Fall has taken on special meaning. At first the changing leaves frightened me. Don’t peak! I’m not ready. I’m not in a place that I can be present to your beauty.
The trees didn’t listen to my pleas. They followed the Sirens’ call of the season.
As their colors intensified, my awareness and appreciation grew. Now the trees have peaked. They are slowing releasing their leaves. The trees are letting go, and sometimes letting go means letting go of something beautiful.
Winter is coming, and once again I’m fearful. Last winter was a tough one, and I am feeling vulnerable. But this I know: after the winter there will be spring, and with the spring comes new growth.
P.S. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! What/whom are you grateful for this year? E-mail me. I’d love to hear from you.
The Power of the Pause
Sometimes no matter how hard we try, or how well we understand the Law of Attraction, the people, places, situations, and things we desire elude us. We can be clear about what we want, have the noblest of intentions, free ourselves of limiting beliefs, and have the strongest of wills, and still more doors close than open. When this happens, the “Law of Redirection” may be at play, writes Annemarie Postma in her book The Deeper Secret: What Does Life Want from You?
Postma believes the universe doesn’t give us what we want, but what we need for inner growth. I like that. When doors close, perhaps the universe is showing us that we aren’t on the right path; it’s time to press the pause button.
My friend Kathy knows about pausing. Little in her life seems to be working. Finally, she decided to “sit on the bench with Eckhart.” Eckhart is Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. Kathy is practicing Tolle’s call to be present.
“I am accepting ‘what is’ and embracing ‘whatever,’” she explains. “Most times I have good days, but every now and then I have a not-so-good day. The not-so-good ones happen when I project from the present to the future and collapse into fear.”
Kathy isn’t sure where life is leading her, but she trusts that Divine Order is at play. Sitting peacefully in the pause, she believes that a path—the right path—will eventually open up.
Like Kathy, I am learning the power of the pause. “Allow” is the message I keep getting, and I’m getting it from every side. My work? It’s on pause. My writing? On pause too. The marketing of my latest book? Again, pause.
Rather than focus on what I want, I am focusing on God’s will. I am trusting that God knows what I need. Allowing means being present; being present means being in the “presence” of God.
Instead of pushing forward to reach my goals, I’m using this time to connect with God and listen. I’m allowing—and trusting, trusting in the power of the pause.
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