I’m on the move again.  No – that’s not right.  I’m still on the move would be more accurate.  Since my last post, which was way too long ago, I drove up to NJ where I spent 4 months with my friends Phyllis and Deb (more on that later) and then flew down to Costa Rica for four months with my sweetheart where we facilitated two incredible Retreats.  About a week ago, I left a beautiful hot springs in tropical Costa Rica to return to NJ and enjoy the beauty of snow-laden trees.  Is one better than the other?  Well…….I think most people would choose the hot springs but both have their pros and cons.  Both have aspects of wonder and beauty.  Both offer opportunities for either complaint or appreciation.  The real question for me is simply, where is the right place for me to be right now?

When it comes to location, isn’t that really the right question to be asking for all of us?  If you are in the office or at your job site but all of your thoughts are about being with your family or on the golf course, then how effective are you really being in your life?  And that goes the other way around just as well.  Are you REALLY with your family or your fishing buddies if you can’t get your mind off of work?  The secret to living a fulfilling life is simply BEING WHERE YOU ARE.  At least that’s one way to look at it.  Another might be, BEING WHO YOU REALLY ARE.  But for purposes of this blog, we’re going with the first one.

So, back to the question of, “Where is the right place for me to be right now?”  That question can be applied at the macro level, considering where you should be living, and just as well can be applied to the micro level such as who to sit next to in church or what table to take in a restaurant.  The latter two examples might seem trivial but they are just as important as the first question.  Why?  Because each question is really simply asking, “Where do I need to be right now?”  Answering that question requires only that I let go of my pre-conceived notions, habits, and external pressures and surrender to the Divine wisdom that is inside of me.  Where I sit at church or what table I take in a restaurant may determine how I can positively impact a person who may need what I have to offer.  Same is true of which house I buy or apartment I rent, what job I accept or business I start, where I choose to vacation or spend the weekend.

Thinking about and analyzing every aspect of where you should be right now would drive you insane and render you useless.  The point is that you can’t figure it out mentally so just relax and see what comes to you.  The wisdom is already within you and is easily discerned by simply opening up to it.  Don’t expect the reason to be crystal clear to your left brain either.  An example might help here.

Last July, I was in Florida and considering where was the right next place to go.  I had choices.  The year before I had been with my friends Phyllis and Deb as Deb went through chemo and a mastectomy.  She was scheduled for reconstructive surgery in August and I wanted to be there to celebrate that with them.  There were two people in Arizona that I wanted to interview for the book I am writing.  There were friends in Colorado that I wanted to visit.  A plan began to form that seemed to make perfect sense.  I would spend July and August with Phyl and Deb to celebrate her healing and new breast.  Then I would drive to Arizona but go through Colorado where I would stay for whatever period of time seemed right at the time.  After completing my interviews in Arizona, along with visiting friends and relatives there, it would be time to return to Costa Rica for the Retreats that Susannah and I would facilitate.  Great plan and it felt right to my intuition so off to NJ I went.  

Things did not go as planned.  Deb’s cancer unexpectedly got very aggressive and spread to her abdomen, liver and lungs.  She had an intense reaction to the new chemo and landed in the hospital.  Her surgery was cancelled and, instead of our anticipated celebration, we were faced with Deb’s rapidly declining health.  I realized then that this was the real reason I had come to NJ – to be with Deb and Phyllis during this trying time.  I cancelled my plans for Colorado and Arizona.  I knew that I was in the right place.  I was with Phyllis when Deb was brought home from the hospital and just two days later I was at her bedside when she passed away.  I would not have wished to be anywhere else.  

So four months later I am back with Phyllis and once again I know this is where I should be.  It feels like I’ll be doing more travelling this year but all I know for certain is that I am in the right place right now.  If you have any stories or comments about knowing where you should be, I would love to hear them.  

Oh – I’ll try to do a better job of posting blogs more often!