oh, the places you go.................

 this morning's sunrise from my back deck....

It was only last Thursday when I didn't think I had a darn thing interesting planned for the weekend.  Feeling a little sorry for myself, I even whined about it.  But, like most of life, if you open up to whatever comes you way, and if you put yourself out there a little bit.............even a tiny bit, there's always a good chance opportunity comes knocking.  From the least expected places.  

The thing about opportunity is that it often sneaks up on you. It rarely knocks because more times than not, it can't find the front door.  Instead, opportunity resorts to sending a flare, a smoke signal, a firefly sizzle of a light in front of darkness.  If you have your head down going about your serious business, working and slogging away, you may miss the tap on the shoulder or the wink from the Cosmos from that sassy opportunity all dressed for an occasion. 

Like a relay race..... if you're running the second lap, you can't be daydreaming about some far away landscape when the breathless runner is about to pass the golden baton to you.  You've gotta be paying attention.  Full frontal focus.  Zippity open to opportunity when it shows, or glows or flows......... 

What I find odd about a jumble of days without a gameplan that ends up becoming full of encounters, connections, good deep conversations, sunshine and shifts in thinking from new ideas?  It takes a bit to process afterward.  When you reflect on the separate activities, they are meaningfully affirming on their own.  THEN, when you take the escalator up to give yourself a chance to see all around you......... to see the collection altogether, you can glean various themes, shared characteristics that heighten the belief in serendipity.  Similar topics discussed.  Similar paths shared.  Agreed upon understanding of what is important in life....... Big picture awareness.

So, I took that escalator up above and what did I see?  Well, this weekend's theme can be summed up with one word:  Recovery. 

Not quite ready.  In the throes of it.  Take a break from it.  Not knowing what to do with it, or how to go about it.  

Recovery. 

Learning how to embrace the vulnerability of it.  Learning that the pain before it was far worse than choosing life altering avenues.  Learning how to admit to a Higher Power.  Learning that one needs to heal.  

To recover. 

• A young man making the transition from a cloistered life wrought with social anxiety to an enrolled student in the fall.
• A middle aged woman who has found true love after many hardships and soul bruises is about to embark on a new shared life.
• A friend who is close to inhaling freedom.... the necessary ingredient in reclaiming her healing and wholeness
• A  family living far away from loved ones and support  who have had MORE than their share of major life upheavals in the course of two months..... from heartbreak to serious illnesses, to losing their Mom/Grandma..... recovery will take time as they focus on the small blessings in the world around them....
• Close friends temporarily living in Christchurch New Zealand near the last quake epicentre... surrounded by resilience and recovery missions.  Amazed by the support they've received, but still quite emotionally startled by their experience.
• A new friend who through a moment of heart stopping grace saw the flint spark of light and has now fully embraced his own recovery by recognizing his authenticity comes from God

.

Me.  I fit here too.  So do you.  We all do. Recovery is lifework.

Whether its from an addiction or a deep gash from mourning, it causes us to be shook up enough to be emptied.  Temporarily.  Recovery is what we attempt when we encounter those negative forces beyond our control, but shake us to our core..... WHEN we are ready, we seek out help.  We admit, and then begin to heal by learning how to let go of pride, debilitating fear, and rationalizations.  We begin to heal when we stop fighting against reality.  Against truth.  Then we allow truth, honesty and vulnerability to be the balm on the wounds....... Painful wounds. 

What amazes me everytime I am given this opportunity to delve into the machinations of recovery, and to share the stories that peel the layers of defensive boundaries away, I realize again how it takes complete and utter emptiness to re-fuel our souls with a new energy.  When there is nothing left in the tank, you can't go anywhere except down on your knees, with no skin left to protect.  From that vantage point....... down in the holy well of tears, a crack forms......... that's always where the light gets in.  And it the light, however dim, that reveals opportunity.  

May we have the strength and the supports to grab hold of the opportunity to recover.  More importantly, may we garner the spirit of courage to grow beyond our wildest dreams into a place of forgiveness of ourselves and others.  

What an amazing weekend.  My life is far more enriched because of all of the encounters and experiences shared with me.  

ps.  My good friends living in NZ just experienced another day of earthquakes.  They are fine..... the recovery continues.......