Dancing With The Universe

Friday was my last day at work. I finally said goodbye to the corporate life, to stark offices and to stodgy outfits. As I said my goodbyes and answered questions about my future plans, I found myself rattling off a whole year’s worth of trips and courses to take. “In the first two months, I’ll be traveling around Europe. Then in the summer, I’ll be doing so and so. Then by the fall, I should be in so and so. . .”

At some point, I caught myself feeling stressed out over these plans. I realized that if I was planning every single moment of every day for the next year, what for did I jump off the cliff?

As a wise friend counseled, “With all your planning, it sounds like you’re leaping from one prison (corporate life) to another (your rigid timetable). I thought you were seeking freedom?”

He was right. Up to this point, my life had been so structured. Being without a plan made me uncomfortable that I had to build some ground underneath me. But if indeed the purpose of this sabbatical was to explore possibilities, and to seek out what next, then I should be overhauling what my notions of comfort are. If I were to dance with the universe, then I should allow the universe to take the lead.

After all, we as humans are constantly evolving. Our interests and desires shift on a daily basis. So it would seem almost silly to plan 12 months out based on the person I am today.

So, while I set my intentions for the next few months, I will, at the same time, remain open to what the universe may have up its sleeve. I will. . .

• Meditate and listen intently. Some of my most profound “gut feels” happen during meditation.
• Say “Yes” to little nudges. Someone suggested checking out a particular book? Received an invite to a show? A cheap ticket to California? Yes, yes and yes.
• Explore internal curiosities. Visual design is suddenly intriguing me? I’ll check out a class.
• Let go of some of the things on the to-do list. Let go of the rigidity and embrace some chaos.
• Get comfortable with the shifting ground. As Liz Gilbert put it,

“. . . the most interesting moment of a person’s life is what happens to them when all their certainties go away. Then who do you become? And then what do you look for?. . . that’s the moment when the universe is offering up an invitation saying, ‘come and find me”

I will stay open. I will stay curious.

*Photograph by Michael Zittel @Serrbiz https://www.serr.biz/services/photographer.html