Sunday, July 25, 2010

Garden Walk through Life

I awakened this morning with a vague sense of unease. It had to do with lack of direction...for the day, in my life, in my dreams. I'd been working for the past several months on revamping my life, reassessing not only what I do for a living, but what I "live for doing", as my friend, Stephen Anthony says.

So I decided to take a "Garden Walk" first thing this morning. My goal was to go to the end of my driveway, let my feet point me in a direction, and walk with the intention of observing neighbors' gardens to see what I noticed that might be relevant for my life's revamp.

My feet decided North was the direction to proceed, so off I went. My neighborhood is a roughly 15-20 year old neighborhood with the prerequisite beige dwellings interspersed with a few white and gray houses for good measure. I noted that uniformity with interest. How many of us live uniform lives dictated by convention?

I then noticed that most yards had overgrown landscaping...what had been workable and wonderful 15 years ago was no longer useful or appealing. One home even had a huge Mugo pine flopped across the front entrance to the house. What better way to say "No Admittance!" or "You're Not Welcome Here!"?

As I approached a cross street with the intention of going right into another part of the subdivision I like, I noticed a tarred crack in the pavement that looked just like an arrow and was pointing straight ahead. I thought about God, The Universe's sense of humor and the cheesy ways we get guidance at times in life. I recalled a client who was seeking guidance about whether to stay in her marriage or move to New York. She called me excitedly from Highway 41 stating she'd gotten her answer from a billboard that read "Live, Work, and Play in Wisconsin". I proceeded straight ahead...

My thoughts, as I walked along, enjoying the sunshine and breeze, were that I needed to sharpen my eye for what used to work, but no longer does. It reaffirmed my recent round of paring down, recycling, releasing to new owners, selling off and letting go. It also encouraged me to be open to new opportunities that come my way. The Universe will provide abundant options for re-energizing my life, and I want to be open to taking them!

As I rounded the last corner toward home, looking forward to the pot of Blueberry Mountain coffee that awaited me, I felt a settled sense in my heart and soul. I thought about more household things that I'd be bestowing upon my son, Logan, who will be moving into his first apartment in Milwaukee within a week. I thought about the small desk I'd received from my dad which was now going to Milwaukee with Logan, to be replaced by a wild desk that is only in my imagination thus far, but entails two antique doors being hinged together at a 90* angle. I'm excited to see how that project turns out!

I'm also looking forward to the guidance I know is coming from my mentor, The Growth Coach, Julie Musial, and from the Mary Kay Seminar I leave to attend in Dallas later this week. As I walked up my driveway, I smiled knowing that the initial angst felt upon awakening had given way to a fresh sense of purpose and direction. Seize the day!!