Even though I have spend a good portion of my life chasing one adventure after the next, I never thought I would quit my day job and actually try to make a career out of it. Don’t get me wrong, I had dreamt about it over and over but life, or maybe its society, has a way of having us buckle down. The grind and race we tend to commit ourselves to doesn’t come with a warning label from the rats who have been running it…and if it does it’s in very small, fine print!
We all want to succeed. Whether it’s in a new hobby or interest, a new job or career, or a new person of interest and making that good impression. Most of the time success takes hard, dedicated work. But that’s not all it takes, is it? A little bit of pixie dust, magic, guidance from the universe, stars aligning, and, yes, even doors closing.
That’s a hard one. I don’t know about you but, personally, I feel like I have had so many doors close in my face. The trick is that you can’t let it shut you out from still experiencing what the present moment has to offer (I know, easier said than done). Like it or not, looking back, those door were shut for a reason. I recently read that sometimes Rejection is for our Protection. And my locked corridors just happened to have lead me to where I deep down really wanted to be. Not without detours, of course.
We all go through phases in life. And when I realized a certain phase I was in had lead me out of a passion I had always been passionate about, I’ll be honest with you, I prayed, and prayed hard. Prayed that life would one day lead me back to exploring the great outdoors- specifically across borders.
Because that’s just it, isn’t it? We can’t let our dreams slip between the membranes of our brains because what we dream matters. Conscious or asleep, those desires we hold so near and dear to our vests and chests are what keep us seeking. And what we seek matters. It isn’t by coincidence you have specific desires. Examine what it is you truly want, and be honest with yourself. Not down on yourself, just honest. Does it give you a "buzz"? Does it keep you up at night? If not, maybe you aren’t allowing yourself to dream big enough. What is that they say? Shoot for the moon, you just might end up in the stars?
I read somewhere once (on a really cool graphic t-shirt that I own), “We are all dreamers beneath the stars.” And if the universe is in fact infinite, then doesn’t that mean there is an infinite amount of possibilities, probabilities, and potential just waiting for us to recognize?
The art of origami is the practice of folding paper. Start at the beginning and you have just blank sheet of paper. But with technique, patience, and dedication there are limitless beautiful outcomes. Wikipedia just told me that “in modern usage, the word ‘origami’ is used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin.” And what is practice but a repeated activity to improve proficiency? Unfolding and refolding.
And I believe the cosmos can unfold finite circumstances in our lives to show us what it is we really need. To encourage us to practice facing the infinite good in what it is we really want, regardless of how intimidating the practice may feel.
Reminds me of a story a very dear friend once told me. She was moving back to her home state, reluctantly, because she felt the Lord had made it very clear it was time for her to return. On her drive back she was praying and told God, “You know, it really feels like you are asking me to drive off a cliff here.” And in her spirit she heard God’s response, saying, “Good! Because that is where I can catch you.”
I would say that is a pretty good definition of taking a leap of faith. And sometimes, or most of the time, for us dreamers, seekers, and travelers it takes a bit of faith for get us across the edge of what is certain and into the unknown, where something wonderful has always been waiting for us.