The Path

In my quest to increase self-awareness through various techniques, I have begun observing in others the potential to walk down that same path, and I think I've developed a sense of people who are not on that path. At this point in my life, I will be most happy with friends who are moving in the same direction.

Today I tried to describe to a friend that I believe is ready to walk down that path why she's suddenly experiencing this awakening, using sports as the vehicle, just as I do:

Sometimes it's simply a matter of being ready to hear a particular message. I could almost see the lights going on the day I wrote to you about your past Ironman performances and how I didn't think you were seeing clearly, and I think that set the wheels in motion for you to look at yourself in a different way.

To cite a personal example, I'm rereading a book that I supposedly read over 5 years ago. At that time, I was locked into a repeating cycle of self-doubt and occasional depression, and the book brought me some comfort in a time of need. This time, when I began reading it again, it was with the eyes of a beginner--a novice--who needed to be more open to the messages contained inside. It has been a completely different experience of the very same book! I SEE so much more in the book, I've LEARNED so much from it, and I can INTEGRATE its messages into my practice of self-observation and awareness.

We are like books--there can be very deep messages in there if we have tuned (OUT, some would say) our perspective to see them. When we're not ready for our book's (life's) messages/lessons, our experience of the book can be based on what our current or past experiences are when evaluated from an ingrained, external and easily influenced point of view. When we ARE ready for those messages/lessons, it feels as though we're reading a chapter for the first time, even if we've read it many times before. After all, it's the very same information! And suddenly, the subtler messages become clearer, meaningful and weightless without all our personal mental baggage to weigh them down.

Some of us read the book and "get it" sooner than others, but no matter when that mind opening occurs, it's deeply personal and precious, and you need to let it be coaxed gently into the forefront of your consciousness, let others who have been there help you in your own journey, understand that there will be rocks and obstacles on the way (mostly of your own doing!), and most of all, enjoy the process!