of thanks and giving
I realize that lame attempts at blogging don’t count for a broken glass so I have come back to you after much contemplation of the past few weeks. Perhaps I should venture into months but then I may bore you. Suffice to say that life here is familial. Nothing out of the ordinary, no real bizarreness, just everyday. Which for the most part is lovely and content, if not just a little boring at times. Not to get confused with wanting or needing more – just a sense of moving forward. The next step up.
In September I took the Landmark Forum. Some people may think I am crazy, which is fine, but I figured if there is one thing I can gestate at the end, then it was worth it. For the most part what I ‘learned’ were things I already knew. Which was frustrating because I wasn’t there to learn things I already knew. I was there for a break through. We all were. Sunday comes around, still nothing. But my eyes and envy are watching people in the whole room finally ‘get it’. I sat at the back of the room and cried. If I wasn’t ‘getting it’ then where would I go? Coming home that night, Andrea (my housemate) was curious about what I had learned. I didn’t have an answer. All that would come out was “I need to process”. Obviously I was able to give her a view of what the course was like, etc. and she understood. She came with me to my completion on Tuesday night to get a better idea of what I saw in this forum.
Let’s segue a bit into why and how this came into my existence. The first time I heard about Landmark was through my friend Alana. She had explained how taking Landmark Education had helped her open new doors and concepts to her everyday life. To let go of the past that holds us back, is something we as humans find extremely difficult. By noticing her strength of character and watching her build her business, gave me the notion that there is no reason why I cannot do the same for myself. My only question was “how”. A couple years later I met a woman by the name of Judith Snow. This is a woman of astounding measures. She has created possibilities in her life that never once could I have imagined. Fortunately for me, I was once a part of those dreams. However, something was lost. Something I was detached from. Something I couldn’t recognize. This something sometimes takes a long time. It wasn’t until my friend Kati asked me to attend her completion evening when I realized it was time to take the forum. This was it – so I registered. I was nervous, afraid, a little sick to my stomach but I knew this was right. I had no idea in what ways I would change. There were times when Gabor would call me and pour his strange little heart out. I didn’t understand, although there was still a bucket load of resentment there. But what I did understand, by the time I had registered, was that resentment toward Gabor finally started to dissipate. All my resentments started to dissipate. Who knew where this road would lead but I was going to walk it the whole way.
So back to Sunday night – there we sat, on the small back deck, and I still felt lost. Confused. Quiet. I dragged myself to bed and woke up to a dreary miserable Monday which consisted of an informal meeting at the Children’s Aid Society. Something I wasn’t looking forward to. So I got myself showered and out the door, umbrella in hand and wellies on foot. When sitting in the subway something dawned on me. The rain. The rain didn’t effect me. Now, I know you may think this sounds crazy or irrational but truth be told, this was my break through. For the first time in my life I didn’t let the weather dictate my emotions. Before Landmark, I would have canceled all appointments and stayed in bed. This Monday my brain didn’t even register the rain. YAY! This made me smile. The next event was the way I conducted myself in that dreadful meeting. A meeting that I would usually allow the ‘professionals’ to make all the choices – not this time. I didn’t get angry nor did I get in anyone’s face. I didn’t mind if I had to step on someone’s toes in order to get what was needed. I said what needed to be said, wasn’t comfortable with the outcome so in the end, I made a choice. I took the next step that I wouldn’t have taken before. Another small victory! As minute as one might see this, so be it. These are the little things that matter.
The following Friday – my love arrived. I will never forget her tired eyes looking up to me when we met at the airport. Finally – after months of not seeing each other, she was here. Here to wake up to, fall to sleep with, eat dinner and make tea for. A week of strangeness and beauty and love. A week of what life might look like. I keep finding strands of her hair around the house 🙂 I keep finding myself missing her. Her last night here we ended up taking Forest and Jamie to a concert – I’m still wearing my VIP band. I light our candle, smell the lavender honey and wish she hadn’t gotten on that plane. We spent two days alone in Niagara Falls which was something we really needed. A day trip through Niagara wine country (best salad of my life), dinner in bed, fireplace romance while looking out on the falls. We should have stayed another day. We wanted to stay another day. I’m not going to get into much more detail because that time spent is far to precious to share right now.
The whole point of this post is of thanks. Thanks to the family and friends who do share willingly in my life. Thanks to the support and love of those people. Thanks to those who aren’t sharing now, but may again someday, for their contribution to my path and the wealth their presence has given. Thanks for the smiles, the love and openness. Thanks for the time and support of life around us. Thanks for being present. Thank you for allowing me into your lives, to share and learn and grow. I look forward to our days and nights – be well, be content, feel loved.
