Wow, what a week last week! Mine started with a birthday ushering me into a new decade and ended with a presidential election ushering in a new era. And there was a lot of craziness in between, including the moment I saw the turkeys fly.
Yes, that’s right. Turkeys fly. Not the type many people eat at Thanksgiving, but wild turkeys. Their speed can reach up to 60 mph for short distances such as when they are escaping a predator like my dog. It was a spectacular sight that happened during the suspended time when we were awaiting the election results, and it made me think about how I react to fear.
I’ve spent lots of time flying when I could have been flowing. I’ve often let my energy spin out in the vain effort to try to control things I could not and should not have been trying to control. Lately, I’ve made an effort to notice when it is happening. The symptoms are things like distracting myself with way too much time online, unnecessary worry, excessive planning, blaming others for my feelings—in general being in my head and not noticing my body. I feel edgy, and I don’t get good quality sleep. My energy feels off.
I think we are all a bit like that right now. There is so much turmoil, so many things that break our hearts, so much to fear. It is understandable that we tend to spin out. Therefore, it is the perfect time to challenge ourselves to flow. When we choose to be guided by the Universal Law of Flow, we accept and honor the place where we are now. We resist the urge to get caught up in the chaos.
I practiced last week. Instead of constantly monitoring the election news, I limited myself to 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night. I promised myself that when the presidential race was called, I would find out. I did.
Instead of spending the week worrying, I slowed down and focused on my breath. I also hiked, walked the dog, danced, rode my horse, hung out with my 6-year-old neighbor, meditated, wrote in my journal, practiced yoga, worked out and spent socially distanced outdoor time with dear friends. I also did lots of chores, got stuck for a really long time in a traffic jam, and locked my keys in the car at Walgreens. (Flow teaches us patience and gratitude for our friends who come to pick us up).
My experiment with intentionally being in the flow proved to me that I feel more joyful when I let go and trust in a Divine plan. Of course, it was not a week of intense personal challenges, and the race ended how I wanted it to, but what better time to hone the tools? Flowing doesn’t guarantee that everything turns out the way we think it should. In fact, that’s the point. Flowing teaches us to let go.
Living in the flow allows us to find beauty in each moment, even the stressful ones. Like the moment I held my breath as my dog chased a flock of wild turkeys, then I got to see them soar into the evergreen trees.
