This is the mantra/affirmation I often use in my journaling. I started using it a few years ago after reading one of Deepak Chopra’s books. For someone with serious wanderlust, itchy feet, and a twitchy regret-trigger-finger, telling myself I am exactly where I am supposed to be is a balm. But until today I don’t think it’s true meaning had really sunk in. I think I was understanding it as I was somehow in a pre-destined place, somewhere a higher power had decided I should be, perhaps somehow related to my ‘purpose’ in life which sometimes felt a bit weird. During meditation this morning this occurred to me that it means something far more simple but somehow terribly complex at the same time.
I now believe it means something like ‘where I am right now is the perfect place to continue my evolution.’
Okay, so does that make much sense? What I mean is that no matter where I find myself, I am in a position to continue my personal growth and everything is working for my highest good. That whole ‘highest good’ chestnut is tricky because sometimes we have to learn some tough lessons – for our highest good. Sometimes we have to take a massive hit – for our highest good. Sometimes we lose everything – for our highest good.
It can be a bitter pill to swallow but it sure beats playing the victim of circumstances.
It’s not where you stand but where you’re headed.
I was at a yoga retreat on the weekend. It was lovely and just like we did last year, we all left trying to figure out how we can live in a yoga retreat for the rest of our lives. We went for a long walk this morning through incredible rainforest with a very knowledgeable and engaging guide. Some of the rainforest was old-growth – one Xanthorrhoea (Grass Tree) was estimated to be over 500 years old. Some of the rainforest was regenerated starting around 50 years ago. Australia is home to some remarkable wildlife and flora with some of the species of ferns more than 90 million years old. It’s also famously home to some of the deadliest critters in the world but in the pics below you’ll see a python basking in the sun with a bulging belly full of food, a ‘land mullet’ the worlds biggest skink (he’s about 30cm long!), and a Red Belly Black Snake which have a bad reputation but has no actual recorded deaths even though the bite can make you quite sick. We had a fun encounters with birds and moths, a frog in the yoga room, and my friend Kate had a leech on her foot but the 4 hour walk was a huge highlight. Kate took some of the photos below.
A few of the attendees decided against the long walk due to injury. Nothing on the agenda was compulsory so we could do or not do anything we wanted. One of the women said she’d decided not to go because her friends weren’t going. I wish I’d offered to have her join us but I didn’t. Sorry, Alex! Next time.
I did have a little laugh in my journal this morning when I wrote the following. (I told Alex about this and we all laughed and I seriously hope she wasn’t offended!)
“My friends aren’t going, so I won’t either,” is the 3rd worst reason not to do something.
“Because my mum said I shouldn’t,” is the 2nd worst reason not to do something.
But the number 1 worst reason not to do something is “My husband said I shouldn’t.”
I stand by my opinions!