I’m embarrassed to admit…

Yesterday it happened. Yesterday, I believe I put the puzzle together and shit got real. And do you know how I did it? Hint: it wasn't thinking about it harder. :)

The puzzle....oh that's only about lineage and cancer and freedom...nothing big ;) Definitely too much for this blog and in all honesty...I'm not sure I'm ready to share all that just yet. But it's big. And...I'm guessing that there is something in your life that you want or would like clarity on and you don't want to think about it harder. It's probably already taking up too much mental real estate. So, here is how it went down.

I started to ASK! Yup, that's the key takeaway here. I’m embarrassed to admit I totally had forgotten to Ask! And…well with a little reminder from a brilliant friend…I remembered this simple but powerful piece.

Something going on in your body?

Something on your mind you need guidance in?

Something you want to achieve but you're unsure how?

Someone in your life you want to understand better or know their role better?

Something you can't get over or let go of?

Don't worry about how big or small. Consider how you've addressed this so far. Write it down even.

Sure I think...I also sit (meditate), spin (Bengston), I work with energy (reiki), I smudge, I read, I write, I pull cards...and now..I ASK!

It's so simple, but was the missing link for me. And here's why I think it easily gets forgotten or overlooked.

Ask? Ask who? OK, first, this is not dependent upon any specific belief. You may know who you are asking (God, Universe, source, Allah, Angels), or you may not believe there is any(one) to ask. Faith or belief, I don't think matters. Even if you have none...asking is a way to uplevel self-reflection. It positions you with curiosity and openness. It begins a dialogue, perhaps, if there is a subject to whom you are directing that ask. At the very least, it distinguishes that thought from the over 6,000 others you have in a day. Taking a moment to ask out loud (or even more pronounced in your head), for the support, guidance, power, answers, understanding, or opportunities you are seeking must be part of it (IMHO)! Of course another key part- being open to receive any responses you might get. This is where it can get tricky. If there is a response to come, it comes in the present. And, well, we must be present to catch it. And..as we so often are..we are led back to the power of mindfulness. If you have done this sort of attention training to any extent, you may be better poised to realize the answers that emerge. Today, I was in mediation which I started with the ask. When the thoughts came and I put them together, my body took a deep breath. The next few moments I felt an opening in my throat that I've never felt and a few other sensations. I felt a sense of truth. I wasn't thinking through it...it just came. If you are like many of us, we overthink sometimes...OK...a lot of the time. In the past, I would think...Is that 'just' my imagination? Am I making meaning where there isn't any...was it just coincidence? Or, I'd be too busy trying to figure it out..that I didn't hear. Sound familiar? Well, WHAT IF that is a response. Trusting our intuition is probably the hardest part for many of us. It's just like Mindfulness...this simplest of things is often such a struggle for folks because we try too hard. We are more inclined to the doing and doing it right. We can also overcomplicate the knowing. We can think our way out of receiving. What if the image, the smell, the feeling, or even the thought, weren't from checking out...but from checking in and asking.

Is this is your version of prayer? Is it the same as contemplation? I'm not sure! I could easily go down a rabbit hole here and perhaps someday we will. For now, I invite you to remember to ASK! repeatedly (and maybe clarify that you are willing to receive)

Let me help you get started: Help me understand what keeps me from asking? Show me what I need to know in order to freely ask? I’ m listening.