Wild, Wild West

Quote of the day: “Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” —Oprah Winfrey; television host, actress, philanthropist

Today I’m getting back in the saddle. I’ve never owned a horse or lived on a ranch, but I’ve ridden horses and been on a ranch, and the feeling of both invokes strength and freedom. Today, I’m ready to ride again. I’m ready to feel the joy, any joy, for that matter. Even though the last few days had been pretty tough emotionally, the joy still managed to find a seat, although it was wayyyyyyy in the back. It’s now sitting more in the middle row.

Whew, what an intense few days. It all started off with the meeting I had with another department within the university. Nothing earth shattering happened at the meeting, but it went well. The person I met with basically runs an entire “school” on campus and works on various campus initiatives that greatly interest me. It was very, very kind of him to meet with me. He was incredibly gracious and basically just let me divulge my passions and interests in serving the university in a new capacity. He offered some words of wisdom, which I will follow up on, but the meeting was more about me simply introducing myself and letting him know who I am.

Even though I may be simplifying it, this was a huge deal for me. I’ve had meetings with plenty of people I didn’t know before, but this was completely different. I had never asked for someone’s time to discuss my passions and how I think they could be of service to that person. I was totally out of my comfort zone. Afterwards, I walked over to the beautiful chapel on campus, which houses a student-run, non-profit coffee house on the bottom floor (very cool) and purchased for $1.00 a large cup of coffee (imagine that). Once I secured the lid after giving it a quick taste to make sure there was enough cream in it, I walked up the stairs, entered the church and sat in the back pew.

Immediately I closed my eyes, slouched in position and began to feel my nerves still getting the best of me. For someone who has done a fair amount of public speaking with ease, this was all new to me. I did my best to not attach to the judgments that were running through my head. I consciously allowed them to flow…out of me. I soaked in the silence of the space and wrapped my vulnerable Self in the majesty that filled the air. I felt protected and safe. It was because of my spirited meditations that I was inspired to ask for the meeting in the first place, so it was perfect for me to conclude the day in such a space…in communion with God.

Then, just like that, I found myself over the next two days having two more meetings with people not at all affiliated with the university, but involved in other works I am interested in. They were just conversations, again, but they came out of my commitment to Irrational Joy—connecting with my thoughts, feelings, hopes and desires—faith and destiny.

It was just a week or so ago that I was hanging out with my dear friend Jill, sharing with her some of these new creative thoughts and ideas I had for work. Jill is one of my best friends from childhood. We grew up together, yes, Jill and Jill, but we lost touch for some years during college and post college. Even though we weren’t connected, per say, we still remained connected. Over the past few years our friendship has grown above and beyond our childhood kinship. She is a soul sister… a creative incubator… a dream catcher and supporter… She rocks.

For some reason it feels like the ideas I share with Jill seem to come to fruition. It’s like she has some special power. It’s actually very cool.

Anyways, it was after sharing these ideas with Jill that I suddenly found myself “acting” on them all in one week. Yikes!

Plus, tied in with these three significant events for me was a huge emotional tornado my dear husband and I got caught up in. Ugh. Thankfully, with the grace, love and understanding, we’ve found our footing.

There was a lot of energy surrounding all of these situations and at one point I felt like I was riding a wild horse, fast and furious in the open field, until suddenly, *POW*! I hit a tree.

So, I guess the moral of today’s blog entry is, “Always wear a helmet after you hang out with Jill.” (love ya, girlfriend, sooooo just kidding).