“Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.”

Andy Rooney

The days are long, and the warm sun is nurturing new growth. Growing seasons are full of surprises. Even when we plan ahead, things don’t always turn out as we expected. 

My climbing roses decided to hook up with the almond tree this year. They created a wonderful, meandering swoon of soft pink that wove through the tree’s branches and appeared to be floating in air like a magic canopy. I certainly did not design the beauty, but I love witnessing its expression. The spontaneity of its wildness pleases me.

I am not ignoring the birds, butterflies, and lush plant life that is everywhere I look during this particular growing season. My mind is like a camera, hungrily taking snapshots to capture the beauty so I can take it with me.

New adventure ahead!

I am embarking on a journey that I am certain will be ripe with new and unexpected growth. My husband and I are making a big move: saying farewell to California and heading to the serene desert of New Mexico. Ahead lies a completely different landscape with new flora and fauna to discover — and new life experiences.

I have been in my current home a very long while. So packing our household has been a growth process in itself! I have held in my hands every single object that has been part of my life, our lives, and had to make a critical decision: does it stay or go? Letting go sounds good until that moment of decision arrives. But I am determined NOT to carry old stuff, burdens, and memories that are no longer needed into my future. And let me tell you, this is hard work. It is getting easier though.

Trusting intuition and spirit

I trust that this new adventure will be liberating. The expansiveness my soul is yearning for is “just down the road and to the left.” That phrase I heard once has always stuck with me. What we are searching for is just down the road and to the left. The left is our intuition and spirit is leading us. Will we follow?

Yes, I am following my heart. While it feels a little like I’m leaping into the vast unknown, somehow I know it is absolutely perfect. Nothing prepares us for a leap of faith. I’m just taking it a step at a time, gently pulled forward by the old mantra, “chop wood, carry water.” It is better to stay in the moment than get too ahead of myself.

There are still so many more things to put in boxes. There are still many “stay or go” decisions to make. I must let go of things, people, and places. I’m setting into memory the wonderful life we’ve enjoyed here and cherishing this moment. And at the same time, I am looking forward to the magical, enchanting moments ahead. The time is ripe now for growth. I feel it. I believe it. I trust it. I’m headed just down the road and to the left.

Wishing you Gorgeously Healthy growth,

Gay