Take Action; Choose Your Path

05.06.17. Yesterday, I shared that the next time I go to Lakewood Cemetery, I will intentionally go to the office to find a map to my brother's gravesite.  As a rather hippy-type person with her head up in the clouds some of the time, and I was expecting to "follow my energy" at the cemetery to find Chris's gravestone three years after his death. I was wrong (but where I was supposed to be . . ). Although I know I wasn't supposed to find Chris's gravesite last Wednesday, I got a strong "Message from the Universe" in my mailbox yesterday morning from TUT.COM which read: ****************************************************** Let's just say, Dana, you're driving down the road listening to some hip-hop, happy kind of music. Then, after a while, you decide you want to hear something else, maybe some classic rock. Would you just hope that the hip-hop station starts playing rock? Would you visualize it, and say, "YES! I believe in the magic! I know thoughts become things! I can 'see’ the Boss now, I can 'hear’ the E Street Band. Thank you, Universe, in advance, I am so grateful!"? Or, after thinking about what you wanted, would you physically change the station? Good. Just checking. Rock on,     The Universe ****************************************************** It hit me that in my hippy-dippy world, I have sometimes felt that if I envision something and give it my full energy, it will happen because of the magic nature of the Universe. And THAT, is actually true. The Universe is so magically delicious (just like Lucky Charms). But I realize I have missed the point, sometimes.  Nothing will happen in my life without my personal and unique agency, my action. And "trusting the Universe" requires my believing in myself enough to move forward to follow my head and my heart (a difficult marriage) and f***ing DO SOMETHING! And as I write this, I am thinking that most people already know this. And that may or may not be true. This is my stuck elementary school self who thought everyone knew all this stuff and I didn't.  But at least I'm questioning it . . .  It doesn't matter. Because this is my unique experience at age 51, and I am a writer, and I share my life's tapestry with you, wherever life may find you.  So sometimes we need a map, and we can try to visualize the hell out of the map arriving, or we can simply ask for it, taking our ego out of the picture.  It's hard to ask for help for some of us who have been on survival. We are warriors, but sometimes, we are weary. When we can share our pain, drop our burdens, let go and ask for help, life becomes a confluence of community and self--and we can finally breathe. We are gratefully not alone. Can I borrow your map?