I have Arrived!

“…la vie est un magnifique endroit d’etre!”

As I sit here on a lazy Friday afternoon with my feet up in front of my wood stove, I can sense something special in the air. I inhale a deep breath of life. The smell of freshly burning wood on a crisp winter day reminds me just how special this moment is: Life is a magnificent place to be!

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It was some time towards the end of June when I decided it was time to stop worrying about all of the doom and gloom and naysayers out there. I decided to let go of all of the fears and frustrations of the world, and I would just start living my life. And here we are almost 6 months later I am finally acknowledging and experiencing the transformation: I have Arrived!

I don’t want to give the impression that it has been an easy 6 months because I have gone through an inordinate amount of challenges, changes, and transformations. But on the other hand, I do want to convey that when you stop trying to catch up with life, and realize that you’re already here, life moves at just the right pace.

Perhaps it is enjoying “country living” that has helped me take more deep breaths and feel the energy of nature, but to be honest, I think that things have been moving in the right direction for quite some time, I had just been looking somewhere other than here and now. Yes, it is really just as simple as looking at all of the wonderful gifts that you have right here and right now.

I could share with you the interesting tales of the roller coaster ride that I have been on since June:

• How Shelly made the decision to leave her job at the hotel and we decided in the blink of an eye to move to Amherst.
• How we looked at houses and condos for one day before putting in an offer, which was accepted the next morning.
• How the actual home purchase and bank loan so seamlessly and effortlessly happened.
• How I had two jobs waiting for me without even looking for a job knowing that I would be unemployed at the end of October.
• How my ultimate Frisbee team ended up making the semi-finals at Nationals from the 14^th seed qualifying us for a spot to the world championships in Prague.
• How I have coached, counseled and supported over a dozen different people to begin to realize their visions in life.

And all that would just be the positives. I didn’t get into all of the rocky moments on the roller coaster ride; the moments that left me exasperated, frustrated, sad, and confused. I didn’t get into any of those stories, good or bad, because those are just simply the circumstances of life. Those are the fables that we tell every single day that cover up the real lessons that I think are much more important than the story itself.

And for me, this is a lesson that I have to keep learning over and over again. Perhaps it is because I am a slow learner. Or perhaps because every time I learn this lesson there is a small voice in the back of my head telling me it’s not true. The lesson is that I am. It sounds simple and if you take a deep breath and say it out loud “I am” you can even feel it. Try it again. “I am” Did you feel it? Try it one more time “I am” It feels pretty good, right?

It helps me get centered, grounded, and brings me right to the present moment. It doesn’t take me off of the roller coaster of life, but it simply lets me know where I am on that roller coaster. It brings me right to the edge of life…and then…the voice in the back of my head chimes in quickly telling me that this is not real. Why, you ask? Well, that’s very simple. When I acknowledge the here and now and when I live in the moment and when I inhale deep breaths of life, the voice in my head goes away, there is only the realization that “I am.” The small little creature that protects me from all of my fears, worries, and failures, also does a very good job of protecting me from living in the moment. Not because he does not want me to live in the moment, per se, but more because he wants to get a word in edge-wise while I am living at the edge.

So why is it that I have arrived?

• I have arrived because I am present and conscious all the time; I can enjoy every moment of nature and the world around me.
• I have arrived because I am courageous, I am fearless, and everything will be okay no matter what the outcome.
• I have arrived because I am excitedly in a loving relationship; everyday I get to wake up and smile and feel unconditionally in love.
• I have arrived because I am listening to the world and others; I get new ideas, different points of view, make new friends, and together we can make a difference.
• I have arrived because I am sharing my passion with the world; I get feedback and can adapt my beliefs; I can share who I am with more people and help others transform.
• I have arrived because I am abundant and making money is easy; I have everything that I want and can share my abundance with others
• I have arrived because I am prepared to live my passion, live my purpose, and help others realize their hidden potential and make their visions into realities.
• I have arrived because I am here to stay in the here and in the now.

I have arrived and…la vie est un magnifique endroit d’etre!