Day 23: Sage Advice…
“The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters.”
The day did not start the way I had planned. I woke up early to get some work done and as I sat and sipped my second warm cup of much needed coffee, I noticed that my mind was not waking up to the unusual amount of caffeine. I just had that feeling… you know that feeling, where you could just anticipate that the planets would not be in complete alignment and I began to prepare for whatever challenges would come my way…
I left later than usual for my early morning swim and arrived 15 minutes late. I slipped into my Speedo and then ever so slowly slunk into the cold pool water. It was a long, sleepy 2.2 mile swim that required every ounce of strength to focus and stay the course. Three words replayed about 70 times while on that swim.… “Just keep swimming!” I did just that, and in an hour and some minutes, the 3,500m swim was in the past. I stepped out of the pool feeling cold and wet. The hot tub beckoned. I remember relaxing my body and mind and trying not to think about the list of things I had to accomplish. Finally, my ten minutes of hot tub happiness came to an end and I quickly changed and headed to the elliptical. I stepped up on the machine and noticed that I had a bit of a headache probably from not consuming enough water.
The short 4.5 miles felt like 20 that were never going to end. Feeling ever so wet again from the workout, I was in desperate need of a hot shower. The next stop was strength training and by now, it was too late to cancel to avoid a cancellation fee. I grudgingly pushed through to complete my workouts for the day. The next item on the list was my Quest for the day. It seemed important enough to share it with the world. But the Quest for the day was not only disappointing, but left me thinking, “Now what?” I felt like a lost spirit on a mission to share a message, but not finding the inspiration or the words to convey it.
As I arrived back home, work occupied my mind—but so did my Quest. Like a mosquito bite that constantly itches, this dilemma plagued my thoughts. This was my first real hurdle with a quest and I was left wondering if I could jump over it. I completed my work and sat quietly in my office. I looked out the window to see rain clouds beginning to form and thinking that the weather would now hamper any attempt at completing an outside Quest. A new food? A new store? A new experience? And ever so loudly I said, “Please help me figure this out!” As if…. As if I thought there were someone guiding me along on this journey. But alas, as I already expected, there were no responses…. Saying those words did not solve my issue and didn’t help in the slightest either. So, I sat quietly and decided to meditate. I am not an expert at silencing the world to focus on my breathing…. but I took a long hard deep breath, straightened my back, centered my spirit and just breathed… I did this for about 5 min and I had an urge. No, not that urge…. Lol… I had an urge to escape the house and hike. I see a hill on my daily travels, not far from where I live, with a gazebo near the top. I often wondered what the view would be like from high on top the hill. Hiking is never good for my knee. But the hilltop beckoned. Caution was thrown into the wind and I was determined to get to the top of this hill and look out from that gazebo.
I started the hike up this dirt trail and it was in the first couple minutes that I had to stop, take a deep breath and be grateful. Everywhere I looked the view was incredible and I hadn’t even climbed to the top. The clouds were pink, orange and grey, there was a slight breeze that kept the bugs away.
Powerful C-130’s flew low and over where I stood, coming from the nearby airport. The sun was brilliant in the Western sky. The sage that lined the trail left an unmistakable scent as if to protect me from bad spirits. I continued along the hike and took note of the pale pink and purple wildflowers that graced the trail’s edge.
And just as I reached the top, there was the gazebo on the Western side of the hill with the sunset penetrating the structure to almost highlight it. It was reminder to me of what the Quest was all about. I stood and watched the sun sink behind the purple mountains and I was grateful for witnessing a sunset that reconciled all the days obstacles. It was a couple of minutes that I had wished would have lasted hours.
As I walked down the trail, I couldn’t help but find my smile… the Quest today became ever apparent to me… it wasn’t about climbing mountains, or eating an exotic food or learning a new language. Today’s Quest was about having plans go awry, circumventing the obstacles, persisting through the adversity, relinquishing control and letting life lead the way… and in the end, that gazebo I had seen so often from the road may very well have been beckoning me to come sit inside and let life rest for just a couple minutes while taking in sights to behold…
As I walk away from the day, I am left to realize that perhaps the planets were always in correct alignment and maybe “someone” was listening to my request for direction. Life seemed to happen the way it was supposed to; and in hindsight, I have been lucky enough to not only take in a glorious sunset, but be able to share it with whoever desires to see it…
“We can’t plan life. All we can do is be available for it.” –Lauryn Hill
Tonight, I have found my smile…. Wondering what tomorrow will bring!!!
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