“Allow the mystery… This is a very fertile place in which to hang out if you can bear the uncertainty and discomfort of it.”–Your Spacious Self.
Some of you may remember what life was like in the early twenties. You’ve left home (or hope to), and take those first awkward steps in forging your own path as a young adult, full of hope and expectation.
What no one tells you is how excruciating it can be to apply for a job that you don’t get; to not hear back and wonder if you even made it out of the slush pile of hundreds of other competent candidates; to put yourself out there again and again and again.
One year out of college, our 23 year old daughter is finding her way in the world. She would like to join the Peace Corps. The application process is a long, complex, and dragged-out process of interviews and endless medical check-ups. Waiting and more waiting. It takes about year before you get to go anywhere.
Finding our way in the world is no easy task no matter how old we are, of course. There’s no manual for how to make a living or a life that feeds the soul. The roller coaster ride can hit at any age. You just have to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. Right?
So what happens after you’ve set your intentions and indicated strongly to the Universe that you are all in, yet nothing happens.
For. A. Long. Time.
The waiting game is fraying your resolve, frying your circuits, and making you go crazy with not knowing.
With that much time and wondering, the mind can play some crazy games.
That’s a bit what our daughter was going through a while back as indicated in one of her emails:
“Feeling unexpectedly exhausted after that [Peace Corps] interview. I have been mentally preparing for so long. The two hours passed in the blink of an eye and before I knew it, we were shaking hands and the waiting game began once more.
I just can’t believe I still don’t know what my next step will be.”
Here’s my reply (which I wrote while on a six-month Sabbatical in Mexico):
Hi honey,
My two cents: All good.
The waiting game is something we have become very accustomed to living here in Mexico: waiting for the plumber, waiting for an estimate, waiting in line at the bank, and then waiting for internet to come back on, or electricity….waiting and waiting … when something unexpected and magical happens or someone shows up a day early and you are pleasantly surprised.
This fuzzy-time of not knowing is excellent preparation for the Peace Corps – or life, for that matter – where most of what you do is wait, and nothing will ever go as planned, and then something amazing happens. By the time you go you will have developed a really solid “go-with-the-flow muscle” that will stand you in really good stead.
Keep living your life with joy and passion. That’s all you can do. Be present to what is happening right now, knowing that something will eventually shake your way.
Un beso!
xo, Love you, M
Art credit: Alessandro Gottardo
[p.s. If you find this message helpful, please forward it to someone else (or share, tweet, pin… ) and let’s build the clearing energy together that will help to lighten all of our loads!]
