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When There's Nowhere Else to Go

8/9/2015

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Source: Amy Tirion, Santorini, Greece
We are a forward moving and thinking culture.  We’ve been conditioned to have a plan in our pocket at all times; our eye on the horizon and a known path to get there. The idea of having nowhere else to go can conjure up images of a dead end, being trapped or stagnant.  Why does lack of forward movement feel unsettling or unnatural? Is it possible to gaze at the horizon with all of its promise without needing to chase it? 

My family just had a beautiful exercise in planning ahead and being completely present simultaneously. We recently returned from our first European vacation.  I wistfully observed us as a family and wished we could always operate in this balanced state of valuing each day.

One afternoon as we boarded a ferry in Greece, my younger daughter asked, “How long is the ferry ride?”

I answered, “Three hours,” expecting a moan of frustration when she learned what was between her and the next destination.

To my surprise she replied, “Oh good!  I just love to just sit and do nothing.” At that point we had nowhere else to go, yet we were still on our journey.  She has always been one of my greatest teachers.

When we arrived in Santorini, we found one of the most magical places on earth.  Do add it to your bucket list! This crescent shaped Greek island was born from a gigantic volcanic eruption that left only a massive rim jetting up from the sea. As you climb from the port to the highest tips of the towns, you ascend into the clouds.  We stepped through the gate of our hotel, and immediately were on the cliff’s edge.  We felt this dense peace, looked down at the silent sparkling sea miles below, and for a brief moment believed we were in heaven.

Heaven has varied and arguable definitions, but in Santorini, it’s undeniable. You have to catch your breath.  It’s the inhale you forgot to take when your eyes first cast out onto the expansive horizon far below against the sheer cliffs ripped into indescribable form.

You quiet to whispers.  And your brain . . . well, it rests.  There is nowhere else to go.

For two sweet days we experienced this pure peace that entered into our cells, creating expansiveness within us as infinite as our view. 

I'm back now, without the view, but with new resolve to hold my gaze. Summer has these moments for each of us: time in the sweetness of nature; in a vacation destination never seen before, or in a well-loved familiar spot to soak in the long sunlit days.  Daily life is also full of points in time when we are meant to sit still in between destinations.  May you find heaven in these moments.  May they teach you how to live in peace, being fully present, without striving or planning.  May you feel whole and know that you can rest . . . you have arrived . . . that there is no where else to go.
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Finding Harmony

1/17/2015

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We were about to head home.  It had been a sweet excursion for my sister and me: a day of adventure and play at a full day yoga festival.  It was one of those backdrops that made you feel free, happy, a bit younger, definitely more alive.  After hours of yoga, good food, top-notch people watching and plenty of giggles we headed toward the exit signs but were pulled to a doorway releasing lovely music into the night air.

Inside we found an intimate setting of just a few folks sprawled out on a hodge podge of oriental rugs, sinking into the delicate guitar notes of a promising performance.  Both musicians seemed to have that unspoken language that many siblings hold, that gave them a natural ebb and flow.

Right as we settled in they stopped abruptly, asked for an adjustment to one of the amplifiers, tried it out and started the song over.

Happy to hear it again, we listened with new familiarity, as the two women started to add lyrics.  But again, it only took a few moments before the artists slowed to a stop and asked for more vocals and less on the guitars.

Jill and I decided, since the audience was small, that we should encourage them with our big smiles and head nods, to continue with the show.  They sounded perfect to us.

But our laymen ears and enthusiastic swaying wasn’t enough.  Again, they couldn’t get through the song.  Both frustration and sympathy bubbled within me.  Their lovely voices teased us. Even during their fine tuning, their harmony lifted the spirits in the room.

It started to feel like a late night skit.  As we stood up to leave one of the artists spoke into the mic, “We are Ma Muse.  Please come back at 9 for our concert!”

Unknowingly, we had showed up for their soundcheck session! 

With a newly purchased CD and fresh laughter we listened to their beautiful harmony the whole way home.

Now there are two possible morals to this story.  I will let you decide which one is for you.

For those feeling discord in life, harmony is an exercise of paying careful attention to both the highs and lows, the light and the dark.  You cannot race to harmony. It is worth your time and scrutiny to find that sweet balance of notes that will bring you fulfillment and peace in life.

For the perfectionists, the world may be on the edge of its seat, waiting for you to stop your soundcheck and to share your voice, your talents, your contribution. 

I'd love to know which ending you are drawn to.  
Enjoy sinking deep into harmony with Ma Muse. 
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    Amy Tirion
    About Me
    Advocate for Stillness, Seeker of Inspiration, Playful Mom, Lover of Creativity, Still Learning, Believer in Women,  Founder of Delight for the Soul

    Check Out My New Book Knowing Beautiful:
    A New Bedtime Story for Women

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    Becoming
    This blog is an invitation to stop.  Breathe.  And tap into the part of you that craves more space, inspiration, and nurturing.  It captures the writings from my Delight for the Soul Newsletter.  They are personal moments of reflection, inspiration, and questioning that focus on Being rather than Doing.  It's a direction we are all invited to go in, as we live deeply and do less.  The more we focus on being, the more delighted we become . . . and the more becoming we are.


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