Do you ever question the path you are on? Have you set out on your path, hit a bump in the road and questioned if it is the right path? Are you following the path that Spirit has led you to and now having second thoughts?
Recently, I went up North for a much needed vacation. I decided to take this trip last minute. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when I got to my destination but Spirit guided me to take the trip so I gave into the inspiration, gathered my faith, packed up my car and put my dogs in the backseat, ready for an adventure. They love road trips as much as I do.
As I was driving North, moments of fear crept into my thoughts. ‘What was I doing?’ ‘This was a crazy idea’. As I arrived in Cambria, panic swept over me. The new energy of this place felt uncomfortable and strange. The fearful moment started to become more intense. Thoughts were swirling around in my head. ‘Why did I come here? This was a stupid idea!’ I have traveled alone many times before but this felt different. I quickly recognized that these sabotaging fearful thoughts were trying to wreak havoc on my magical journey. I paused, took a breath, connected to God and gathered the faith I had lost momentarily. I opened the door and headed straight out to the nature preserve.
I hiked in the woods; with no particular path in mind, not knowing where I was headed and hoping I remembered which way I came from (I tend to get lost leaving my bathroom). Fear began creeping back in again…tapping me on my shoulder and reminding me ‘I hadn’t told anyone where I was going, where I was staying or what I was doing.’ I grabbed my phone as the fear intensified and saw it was flashing, signaling a low battery level. I took a breath, put the phone away, looked up at the beautiful sky, grabbed its hand and walked on down the road. It was a magnificent and empowering moment!
I fell in love with Cambria but after an evening there, I was off to Carmel.
I arrived in Carmel after 3 very windy long hours on Highway 1. Highway 1 is beautiful but honestly I was over it 5 minutes into the trip. As I tumbled out of my car and checked into my hotel I was nauseous. I opened the door with my huge dogs beside me and entered my teeny, tiny room. Once again the fear started to creep back into my thoughts and I felt the familiar restriction in my breath telling me ‘I should have stayed in Cambria’. Pushing the thoughts aside once again, I headed out the door to the beach where I met a magical woman playing in the sand.
The next day I headed out for another hike. I love hiking with my dogs but had no idea that this is what I was going to be doing on this trip. I had no plans. I found a scenic place and took off down the Mesa trail with my dogs. I was warned that poison oak runs rampant on these paths. Tales of your dog rubbing up against the plant and then against their owners with the poison oak were written in all the material I read about the trails. I took a breath, said a prayer to Spirit, protected my dogs and myself and went on my merry way. Little did I know that would be the least of my worries!
Over an hour into the path, after stopping off at a bench, I headed down the road that looked like it would take me back to the parking area. Forty minutes later I read a sign that stated, “This road will not lead you to the guest area”. I didn’t trust the sign and continued down the road. Well, the sign was right. I was exhausted and so were my dogs. It was hot and we were weary and the idea of climbing all the way back up and heading back the same way, felt daunting. I could see no other way out and headed back down the road. Then I remembered, I bought a map! I pulled it out and tried to read it. I get lost reading maps like I do with directions. I just can’t read them.
I took out my phone and called the guest station. A woman answered and I explained my predicament to her. I asked her to look at the map and tried explaining my location to her and asked her if I could take the waterfall road. I told her I was getting scared and my dogs and I were tired. She said, “I think so. I’m not sure where you are”. She had no clue where I was. Really? Why was she answering the phone at the guest station then if she couldn’t figure it out? I was getting annoyed. I really wanted to reach through the phone and smack her. Then, suddenly, she figured it out. “Oh yes, you can take the waterfall road” she tells me. Then before she hung up she states, “Worst case scenario I will be on that same hike on Sunday and can get you then.” Really? I did not find that funny at all.
Not confident with her directions I headed down the waterfall road. Something deep inside me started telling me this path was correct. As I continued down the trail, the thought ‘I should have just gone back the way I came’ went round and round in my head but my gut kept telling me to put one foot in front of the other and head down this new road. After a lot more time had passed, I turned a corner and ran smack dab into a waterfall. The waterfall was dry but the rocks were incredible. Stunning actually. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The peace I felt sitting there in nature goes beyond words. I knew this trip was life changing for me and this moment solidified it for me. After many minutes basking in her beauty. I continued down the path and hit a wider path that was definitely taking me back to the guest station. Walking down this path, I ran into a man on the road. Finally, another human being! I asked him if I was headed in the right direction. He said “Yes”, but asked if my dogs like to swim?. I said, ‘yes they do’. He proceeded to tell me that there is a river nearby and it’s about 5 feet deep, perfect for dogs. At this point I was really weary and wasn’t sure if he was a killer trying to lead me to a secluded area or just a kind man. Hey, I was raised in Brooklyn and when you come across a lone person in the woods, you hesitate taking direction from them. I walked down the path, he suggested to me, felt that familiar fear starting to enter my mind but my gut told me it was okay….. and then I ran into a spectacular river. It was (I’m running out of words to describe the beauty of this trip) gorgeous. Venus jumped in and Micah eventually swam too. I didn’t even know he could swim. It was the perfect afternoon.
Many times we take new roads and we don’t know exactly where we are going to end up. If we continue to trust in Source/God and have faith, we can be taken to somewhere more spectacular than we had even dreamed of. One of the things I learned on this trip is if I stay in connection every second of every day with God – Breathing with God/Source – taking every breath feeling the connection, I will never fear being alone and the journey will be more magical that I ever envisioned. Stay on your path, trust your gut, throw up your hands, breathe with God/Source and turn down a new road.
