Long story short, I’ve been putting this off.
The world is calling for me to start sharing my voice in a really big way and I thought what better time to birth this new era than on the spring equinox?
If you followed along on my soul journey in 2021, you would know that I’ve been spiritual my whole life, but like most people in my metaphysical shoes, I shut down my gifts. Looking back now, I can see I was built for a world that didn’t yet exist. I felt out of place, alone, longed to go back home, and tried my best to just be “normal.”
I suffered with depression most of my life and although I don’t think back on any one time as being a “spiritual awakening,” I had many on-the-bathroom-floor dark nights of the soul. The thing that continued to get me through the most challenging times in my life was this deep knowing that I was here for a reason.
Abundance
Six months ago today I walked out of a job that was no longer serving me. I could feel that the structure of the company was based in the power and control old way of being and I’m already firmly planted in the unity and collaboration new way of being. I knew I could not thrive there.
Following three years of unemployment during the pandemic, I had taken the position for a sense of security. Ironically, the nearly two years I spent there did not move me towards feeling more secure, but instead moved me further away from my true center. And even with this knowledge, I find myself stuck in a loop where I think I need a traditional job to provide abundance.
A New Dawn
Long story short, I’ve been putting this off.
The world is calling for me to start sharing my voice in a really big way and I thought what better time to birth this new era than on the spring equinox?
If you followed along on my soul journey in 2021, you would know that I’ve been spiritual my whole life, but like most people in my metaphysical shoes, I shut down my gifts. Looking back now, I can see I was built for a world that didn’t yet exist. I felt out of place, alone, longed to go back home, and tried my best to just be “normal.”
Seeing Through the Weeds
I've decided I need to engage in writing therapy more often. During my soul journey in 2021, I was journaling every day and then translating those musings into real life lessons. The process of purging thoughts through writing helped me better evaluate what my day-to-day activities were showing me on a larger scale. So here I am, ready to start again.
To say I've been through a great deal over the last couple of years would be the understatement of this lifetime. It's definitely too much to download here, now, in this short space. I trust that the lessons I have been learning will come up again, and I will have the opportunity to integrate them more fully and share those experiences as they arise.
Birthing a New Era
Maybe I've mentioned it before, but I've been working on compiling my Grandmother's memoir for quite some time now. It all began in April 2018, after a visit to her apartment on the South side of La Crosse. Around this same time I had increased my focus on reconnecting with my spiritual side and so as I left her apartment on my drive back to Illinois, I recognized receiving a download.
A download to me is a clear, concise message that just drops into my head. I can't even tell you anything about the visit with my grandma that day or if we talked about her memoirs. But driving through the farmlands of Western Wisconsin, I had a clear message "You should write her stories."
Be The Light
It was still mid-August when I packed my bags in Pikeville, KY and departed for Manitowoc, WI. Navigating towards Wisconsin from the southland and Eastern time zone really was beginning to feel as though I was wrapping up my trip. I had one more stop to make in Manitowoc to puppy sit and keep an eye on my brother's teens, but I had these precious twelve hours all to myself and had the freedom to decompress and prepare for the next leg of my journey.
Not having prepared what I would be listening to on the road, I dialed into YouTube and chose the first video that popped up for me, an Abraham Hicks video: Be the Light & You Will Create Magic.
"You're not here to bring light into the world, you're here to be the light."
A Birthday Adventure Part II
We made a pit stop at the Island in Pigeon Forge to visit a puzzle shop, pick up a little candy, and ultimately enjoy a margarita along the riverside. I can't say that our vibe improved too much, but the margarita must have done wonders because we caught a little universal assistance when we just made it to the trolley and back to our car moments before a torrential downpour. We crawled back through traffic across town in the pouring rain before the clouds finally parted for us.
As we neared closer to Pikeville, the sun began to set on our adventure and the roads grew more and more windy. I tensed at every twist and turn in the road and braced myself for the inevitable SUV rollover and subsequent tumble down the mountainside in a fiery crash. So apparently this fear was heights related as well.
A Birthday Adventure
We started out on our birthday adventure to Anakeesta in Gatlinburg, TN bright and early and I was very tired and grateful for my travel mug of coffee I had brought with. The winding mountain roads heading south out of Pikeville always make me nervous, but it is worse when someone else is driving and I don't have any control. Despite my tired eyes, they stayed wide open watching every wind in the road approaching, but perhaps I only commented on it once. Eventually the windy mountain roads gave way to interstate travel and I relaxed into the journey a bit more.
We arrived at Anakeesta around 11am, easily found a parking spot, but had a harder time navigating the waiting lines. Nothing was marked very well, but we managed to get into the ticket line and secure a couple tickets before hitting up the restroom (yes there was just one), and then found the appropriate line to get to the top of Old Smokey.
Deeper Connections
Similar to my arrival in Lexington, VA, as I departed, I saw a pair of deer and they ran alongside my car as if to wish me well on my travels. According to CrystalClearIntuition.com, "A deer represents inner peace, tranquility, gentleness, intuition, graceful action, and self-awareness. They have a strong spiritual connection, as they are aware of subtle energies happening all around them. They can also represent your deeper connections with your close family and friends, bringing unconditional love, belonging, and community to the forefront." Well if that isn't a beautiful message on the tail end of this wild soul journey, I don't know what is.
My hostess had recommended I make a pit stop at Tamarack Marketplace in Beckley, West Virginia, so I set my GPS for the detour stop and settled in to finish up The Worthy Project on Audible. This book has some great exercises and journaling prompts to help move you from an unworthy mindset to a worthy mindset. I still need to do these! I would highly recommend this read for just about anyone, because who doesn't feel less than at some point along their journey?
Last Night in Lexington
Over a month ago now, I woke up to my last full day in Lexington, VA on August 8th. My host prepared a delicious omelet to start the day with a healthy dose of hazelnut coffee on the side. We enjoyed a leisurely start to the day with everyone at home that morning.
I noticed a giant bush of rosemary alongside the house, so when my host recommended he grill chicken with a firehouse marinade for dinner, I offered to make my now famous rosemary potato salad. My hostess agreed to prepare collard greens, a treat I had not enjoyed since my previous trip to Lexington, VA several years ago.
Honoring Your Energy
While my physical Soul Journey has come to an end, there are definitely still stories to be shared. I've been experiencing a slowing down of pace and I am definitely still processing all that I experienced this summer. I have been feeling guilty for leaving you hanging and I swear I've sat down to blog and journal several times without producing any results.
This weekend I'm back in Manitowoc, WI visiting my brother's family and I had a few hours to myself this morning. I got out my laptop and journals and when I opened the bag, I found my deck of Shamanic Healing Oracle Cards, so I pulled a card for my blog and #15 Honoring Your Energy popped out. Well this says it all, so I decided I could at least share this with you. I'm sure you've been in the same boat once or twice yourself and might find this advice helpful on your own journey!
Reunited in Lexington
My Saturday in Lexington, began with the smell of bacon followed by another steaming hot mug of the house blend coffee. Eventually I'd scramble up a few eggs and make myself some skillet toast to go with the tasty bacon.
While my hostess worked, my host busied himself with usual Saturday morning tasks and I headed out to reunite with Lexington. While my host humored me on my last visit and accompanied me to Duke's Lexington Antique Center, this time he let me go off to explore it on my own. The Lexington visitor's website says that Dukes houses 20,000 square feet of antiques and 200+ dealers. I can confirm, that it is the best antique store I've visited on my travels this summer! I found several milk glass treasures along with a couple National Geographic magazines with Coca-Cola ads on the back (four for a dollar!), and a new old Pyrex butter dish with yellow flowers and butterflies on it. They even packed up everything in a box for me to get it back home to Wisconsin safely.
Expectations
My second day in Lexington (Friday, August 6th) began on my own as my host and hostess went off to work for the day. I slept in and enjoyed three cups (!!!) of the Hazelnut coffee my host brewed before leaving that morning. I couldn't let it go to waste after all. I started the day with a breakfast sandwich before retiring to the front porch with my cup of coffee for a little journaling.
My load of laundry called me in to make a switch and the host’s bulldog, Walter, called me to go out to the backyard, so I picked up my journal and my cup and moved the operation to the porch overlooking a fenced-in back yard. A bright blue bee encouraged me to go inside to check on my laundry at just the right moment, so I folded my dry clothes before pulling on my swimming suit and packing a swim bag.
Flow
I arrived downtown Lexington, VA, shortly before my scheduled meeting time with my Lexington host, so I sat in my car while I continued to listen to The Worthy Project on Audible. By the time I made my way up the block to Southern Inn Restaurant, I walked in about 30 seconds behind my host. I surprised him with a big hug and exclaimed "I'm a hugger now!"
We were meeting there because they were hosting a guest bartender to benefit the local Habitat for Humanity organization. The two people with name tags started up a conversation with my host, which transferred to me. They both used to live in Wisconsin and know where my home town is. What are the chances?!
Stories of the Road
The day I departed Surfside Beach, SC for Lexington, VA, I had only 358 miles on my agenda that would take six hours and twenty-four minutes without stops. I hit the road with nothing on my playlist, but found The Year of Magical Thinking, a 90-minute free story on Audible. It slowly unfolded to reveal and older woman whose husband passes away and daughter struggles with her health at the same time.
Heavy, dark clouds overshadowed my journey as I listened to this dark tale, but pockets of brilliant blue sky kept peeking out, offering hope of a brighter future. By 11:30am, the sun had begun to dominate the sky and the clouds were fewer and farther between, leaving plenty of blue sky. I picked up my next free 90-minute Audible called Stories of a Lifetime with Dan Rather.
Spidey-Senses
My last morning in Surfside Beach with my travel companion began just as the rest... she was already up for the day when my first alarm went off and I started my meditation. My second meditation is an exercise in visualization for your day. As I finished that up I had this thought that I had no impulse about what to do for breakfast on this day. Moments later, my companion returned and let me know we had been gifted breakfast at the hotel.
We readied for the day and headed down to the beautiful, ocean-front restaurant. Upon seating, I picked out a tasty breakfast bowl including roasted potatoes, eggs, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, and cheese along with coffee and orange juice. The breakfast of champions! (Or at least those who plan to spend the rest of the day playing in the ocean.)
Step In Time
On Tuesday, I was researching our options for the day and located the blog with Shag movie locations, thinking we could make a tour to explore the different filming sites. I clicked through on several of the links and wasn't finding actual addresses. We had seen The Diplomat hotel already and two of the sites were a good hour drive away.
Although it appears the actual filming site for the Shag competition in the movie had burned down, the blog recommended Fat Harold's Beach Club. It said they had free shag lessons on Tuesday nights. I said to my friend, "Guess what we're doing tonight?!"
Signs
My friend began her day bright and early (4:30 am I believe) on this day, but I wasn't ready to face the day until after 8am and a couple meditations under my belt. By 10:30, it was shaping up to be a rainy day already and after waffling about where to go for breakfast and getting ready, we decided on Tupelo Honey for lunch because it would be opening at 11am.
It was sprinkling by the time we arrived at the restaurant, so we waited in the car until after 11am before skipping quickly in to be greeted as one of their first customers of the day. As a matter of fact, they didn't even turn the booth lights on until after we were seated. Our waiter was an older, serious gentleman who was all business. Even my friend couldn't coax him out of his shell.
Fish in the Sea
The two of us used to have this saying that we were like two fish in the sea, going where the tides took us. It was those types of nights out where we found the most sparkly magic and loads of fun along the way. Maybe all the time in the ocean prepped us for the task of being two fish in the sea on this night out, because things were definitely working out for us in a magical way.
We headed out to Broadway at the Beach to find Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville restaurant and luckily my friend's eyes spied the sign from the parking lot. I dropped her off to head in to check on seating availability while I circled back and found a parking spot. By the time I joined her, she mentioned it would be a three and a half hour wait for a table, so I suggested we stop in at a fair trade store across from the restaurant first and I found a lovely piece of citrine that I had to pick up.
Stripping Illusions
On our first morning together, my host woke early and headed to the beach to do a little journaling and I slept in until eight and began my day with my traditional Abraham Hicks Process 21 Wellness Meditation and then a 10-minute morning meditation with Jason Stephenson where I set the intention to have the most fun together in Myrtle Beach!
Once we reunited, we prepared for breakfast out on the town and ended up at Blueberry Cafe in North Myrtle Beach, quite a drive, but filled with our usual soul talk. We have always been deep thinkers and although I can't tell you exactly what the subject of this soul talk on this day was (or for much of our time together), I can assure you it was during that drive that I came to the realization that we were together at this stage of my trip to help me talk out some of the things I have been experiencing along the way.
Fresh Possibility
A fresh new day in a new town! Nothing but possibility lay ahead, but I enjoyed sleeping in. The day of driving really takes it out of me. Because it was the first of the month, I took advantage of the alone time to update my social media sites with the fresh new Pampered Chef specials for the month. I headed out to pick up some supplies for the room and that discount store was bananas busy! Then I spent a few hours catching up on a few blogs.
I wrapped up my writing just in time to jet off to the airport to pick up my travel companion from the airport. Considering I was staying at a hotel, she turned out to be my host for this leg and was an integral part of my trip. More on that later. For this moment, I was just so glad she was there with me in Myrtle Beach! We both really enjoyed the movie "Shag" from the 80's and I always dreamed of making a girlfriends trip to Myrtle Beach. While our whole group of girls couldn't be there, I was thrilled to be able to share the experience with one of them.