The Way The Water Flows
Enchanting lessons on the meaning of the human existence and the art of letting go of expectations.
Summary:
Sonya likes to travel and smile.
Expectations are thieves of joy.
The Universe wants to help you get what you want; so as long it supports your greater purpose.
Why push so hard in life, when we can move the way the water flows.
If you are reading this, I believe in you.
The Sedona story continues in Part 2…
My mind wanders back and forth. Should I go? But, where? I want to travel. I need to travel. I don’t know where to go. I need to figure this out…
It has been 2 years since the change in my relationship status. I hadn’t expected the relationship to turn out the way it did, but it did. Thank you, Universe. My partner used to plan all the road trips and hikes. I haven’t gone on a trip like that in, well, almost 2 years.
I need to go somewhere different. I just need to travel. I need new energy. I need to see new things. I want to feel alive. I just don’t know where to go. Ughhh!
My friend, Robert (pronounced the French way), is an avid traveler. He has become the most interesting man in my friend circle. He treks, camps, hikes, sails, surfs, yogas, runs, travels, gardens, bakes, cooks, and lives life to the fullest.
Whenever we get together, he fills me in on all of the incredible experiences that the world has to offer. There is nothing he won’t do, never mind the fact that he also has a demanding full-time job.
This man has conquered all of his fears and leaps forward into whatever makes his heart sing.
Robert gently nudges me again, “Sonya, you should just go. Just pick a place and I’ll help you figure it out. I’ll give you all the tips on what to do and where to go.”
I answer, “Okay, I’ll think about it”. This has been my default answer for the past 365+ days. Robert has not let up. I am grateful for his belief in me. I am so grateful to call him my friend.
One night, I stumble upon Sedona, Arizona on my social media feed as a potential destination. I can do Sedona. I can go stop to see my sister and the girls on my way there. That would be perfect!
I fire up AirBNB on my phone and look at the listings. Everything looks great, except I haven’t the faintest idea of where everything is located in proximity to the local attractions. How far is the vortex and the hiking trails? Where is the cute downtown area where I can plop myself at the bar and meet locals?
My mind wanders off…
Snapping back to reality, I am hit with the realization of how much it would cost to stay a week. I loathe spending money on hotels - always preferring to stay with friends. It offers a sense of security to be with familiar faces, allowing me the freedom to wander off for the day and come back to warm smiles.
No. I’ll wait. I don’t want to pay for anything, at least not yet. I know the Universe will show me something.
I set the intention and promptly forget about it as I fall asleep to my phone in hand, again. (Bad habit, please nag me!)
A week goes by. Not much has changed in my household. Yoga, friends, dinner, work, bike ride, beach, reading and meditation. Oh, and quality time with Minxie, my gorgeous baby cat.
I spend my days in simplicity; doing the deep inner work that the Universe has requested of me. How else would I live my life? The Universe has knocked on my door and I have fully surrendered to allowing my journey to unfold the way it wants me to experience it.
One evening, as I am dozing off to sleep, a thought pops into my head.
It says,“Emily. You should reach out to Emily. She lives in Sedona.”
Whenever thoughts pop into my head, I take action. There are no mistakes when it comes to intuitive nudges, feelings, emotions, thoughts, hunches. The Universe moves through me; I follow through every single time.
Emily, a client from my spiritual practice Digital Empath, mentioned to me in our session that she moved to Sedona. She, too, is a shaman and practitioner of the healing arts.
Interesting.
That night, I promptly send her an email to ask her everything about Sedona. “Do you have a couch I can possibly sleep on?” I write. I fall asleep, without my phone in hand. 😴
Two days later, I receive an email from Emily. I briefly glance at it mid-meeting, happy to see her name in my inbox. I smile, because why not? Smiling is a vibration and an intention, so I smile whenever I feel like it.
When I finally get a chance to read the email, it reads:
Hey! Spirit is looking out for you, love—we’re out of town and you’re welcome to stay at our place. It’s not totally how we’d have it for guests. The towels hanging up in the guest bathroom are clean, but you’ll want to wash the sheets before using either bed. Also pls wash the sheets whenever you leave.
My jaw falls to the ground and I read the email three times over to let it sink in.
Really? Really? Is this my life? Really?
Yes, the Universe really does answer when you speak to it.
You better believe I went on that trip and had the most incredible experience!
“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”- Alexander Pope
It is the human condition to seek control of what it can not control. We set expectations for ourselves and of others, oftentimes leading to varying degrees of feelings and emotions.
When we don’t meet our own expectations, our inner dialog may cause us grief and anxiety. When we do meet our own expectations, we set even higher expectations.
When other people don’t meet our expectations, we may feel disappointed and hurt. When they do meet our expectations, we tell ourselves it’s because we know how things are supposed to work. The cycle continues over and over again.
We sometimes trip over our own feet, attempting to find perfection and experiences that make us feel alive.
What if we just let things unfold the way they are supposed to happen?
What if we just let go and JUST BE?
I’m sure you and I both have so many things we’d like to do in life. Things get in the way. There isn’t enough time, space, money or energy to do everything we want to do.
Sometimes we try too hard, resulting in forced efforts and maybe not the level of happiness you thought you’d expect.
That’s really the bane of it all: Expectations.
Expectations are predetermined resentment.
Expectations are thieves of joy.
Embracing a state of neutrality and allowing for things to flow is how we might achieve a real sense of happiness. It’s not to say that we can’t desire things in our life, we can.
Removing expectations allows us to be pleasantly surprised by the myriad of gifts life has to offer us.
When the thought to travel to Sedona came into my mind, I allowed it to flow into my mind. Then, with much appreciation and gratitude, I let go of all expectations. I actually forgot about it because I was too busy living my life. Yoga, friends, dinner, work, bike ride, beach, reading, meditation, and cat, remember?
My friend, Robert, continues to inspire and encourage me to take leaps of faith to try things I’ve never tried before. He is someone who lives life to the fullest and appreciates every surprise, without expectation. His belief in my ability to travel took a bit of time, but it worked.
This resulted in something more than I could have ever imagined.
A few questions remain, my dear friend:
Are you open to allowing the Universe to surprise you in the most unexpected ways?
Are you willing to trust that things happen for a reason?
Do you believe that anything is possible, so as long as you set a very clear intention?
Are you able to find gratitude in life?
If you answered yes, I am so happy for you. I am smiling right now. Can you see it?
Everything in life flows. Time. Wind. Air. Water. My Hair.
It never stops even if we demand it to. We can attempt to pause it, but it will continue to flow and flow and flow.
Much like water.
Manifesting a trip to Sedona was not magic. I set the intention and promptly forgot about it, calling out to the Universe that I’d like to go if at all possible. I trusted that the Universe would answer my call and help me figure it out. And that’s how things work in life. Why push so hard in life, when we can move…
The way the water flows.
I believe in you. I believe that you can do whatever makes your heart sing, so as long as you set the intention to do something great for yourself.
What do you want to do, if you don’t mind me asking?
Let me know. Also, the Sedona story continues next week… click here to read Part 2 😊
PS: Shoutout to Emily and her husband Ethan for hosting me and allowing me to experience the healing wonders of Sedona.
I’ve read my own article at least a dozen times and I can’t stop smiling like a fool. Thank you for reading this with me 😘😘😘