The Great Truth In Life is the Unknown.
The Territory is Yours.
The great truth in life is that if we could live in the present moment, we would have no need for future desires, or hindsight. We would have a developed sense of soul, of trust, and meditative mindfulness. This can be challenging when your life’s experiences require you to make strategic choices. I feel a rewarding sense of accomplishment when I see my check marks next to my to do list - knowing that I’ve participated consciously in living out Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C. This structure provides me inspiration to get up each and every day, though I’m not fixated – I am able to change plans at any time. I love living in the present moment, there is no need to reflect, or daydream, it is a state of awareness, providing me with a deep sense of satisfaction. Life is such a smorgasborg, too many choices freezes me, stagnates me, too little change is boring and mundane. I find I work best with a Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C.
I’ve realized that being in the present moment, we never know the future and that the past is history. As adults, we choose to follow the roads that feel just right, or perhaps you just follow the crowd. There is the choice to listen to the messages of your body - noticing the feelings of comfort versus discomfort our body’s make. I most often make my choices based on the signals of my body, noticing the feelings brought to my attention. As a cancer survivor, I learned this trick in a support group. I believe I am alive today because I honored the feelings my body, primal, yet very, very powerful. Some call it a gut instinct.
It’s all in your head takes on a whole new meaning to me because it is so true. Co-incidence (another road I travel upon) is the path of surprise for me. Co-incidence is a great road, fun and filled with magic. Life is always an adventure when you follow co-incidences and it evokes curiosity in the never ending adventure we call living. Don’t ask me what I’ll be doing next week, next month, or next year. Life is a mystery that I look forward to exploring. I remember reading and hearing words from Deepak Chopra and several other gurus that say – ”Why settle for the map when you can have the territory?”
I do like having my map though, it reminds me of the limitless possibilities that are in store for me. A map reminds me to make conscious choices, conjuring up memories I experienced as a child while looking at the Sears or Montgomery Wards Christmas catalogue. This means that I can change my mind, my direction at any time – a very liberating feeling. My truth is a state of being that is constantly changing, and there is no going back to woulda, coulda, shoulda. I never really know where the road leads me when I follow my gut. From day to day, week to week, from one place to the next, I flow. My days have become too precious to expect that it ends exactly like the previous day. Memory reminds of how “stuck” I use to be.
Life changed for me in my mid forties when I decided to get a map of Sebastopol and chart out my next new steps in an unfamiliar territory. I still have that map down in the hallway closet, marked with stars, and push pins. The pathways have been traveled carefully, and with full awareness and without attachment to the known or future. Now my body is sending new messages. Messages of desiring a new map, wanting to explore new territory, mountains to climb, new ways of being, new things to see, and fresh flavors awaiting my savoring. My body is aching for newness, and the aging process is such a glorious celebration of life. Though it’s more than tens years of new life for me, I do take time to open my heart and reflect. I also use this emotion of satisfaction as I move ahead with enthusiasm, zest, using wisdom and experiences as a key component in maintaining my joy, pleased with the fruits and flavors of my successful accomplishments. I feel wholeness.
For those of you without a map, I suggest you draw one out, and begin the process of transformation today. Allow yourself to let go of your physical, emotional and psychological disharmony. Explore the many roads, experience creativity, vitality, passion, and love. Transform your Karma and step into the field of the unknown. Remember, a good traveler is able to change directions at any time.
Travel with passion,
Deborah Shemesh
