serendipity

so my friends I have an interesting story to tell. Last thursday I went shopping to buy groceries for my son as I was heading out of town this past weekend. Teenage boys left at home alone need food and all that.....

anyway, on my way out I stopped to take a peek at one of those new age magazines they stock right outside the door to check my horoscope. In flipping through the pages I saw a photo of don Miguel Ruiz, the author of the book the 4 Agreements. I figured it was just an ad for his new book coming out, but as I looked closer, I noticed he was giving a lecture. Again, I figured, has to be in Chicago or some big city. But no - the lecture is right here - Don Miguel Ruiz speaking in my little old home town? Then I look for the date...... April 8. That's today.  The time? 7 p..m. It was 6:15.

this is one of those times when a little voice starts talking to you in your head, saying.......you should be doing this. what a coincidence that you would pick this up and just so happen to notice this lecture that is happening in 45 minutes. you should go. even tho you have other plans. cancel them. you should go.

I'm supposed to meet my son for dinner at 7, but I drove on over to the venue anyway. I figure, it's got to be sold out, right?  I saw all sorts of people streaming into the building, no parking spots anywhere. of course this is sold out. why did i not KNOW about this? i'm circling the building like a lunatic trying to decide if I should park and get out of not. the voice keeps telling me, really quietly but insistent......just find a parking space and go in. Left groceries in the car and ran across the street. they can't possibly have tickets left - i mean, this is don freakin miguel ruiz! he's sold how many bajillion of his books and was on the nytimes bestseller list for centuries.......

but i enter the door and push through the crowd. all sorts of new ager types, hippie beaded, grannies and sensible types clutching copies of the 5th agreement to their chests. i finally get up to the desk and - sure enough - tickets still for sale. i'm sort of amazed by this and i stand there for a moment with my mouth open.  then, for what ever reason, I turn around and head out the door. I can't stand up my son, right? He's expecting me to meet him and I doubt I'll get through to him since he's at fencing practice. So I walk to my car and get in, dialing him anyway just in case. It goes to his voicemail. Just as I'm about to turn the ignition, the phone rings. this comes out of my mouth: sorrybuddythislecturejustcameup doyoumindlettingyouroldmomoffthehookfordinner?? and of course nice boy that he is he says, fine, just as long as you can check over my history paper when you get home.

I park about 300 feet from my house. I'm worried that if I go home first they will sell out so I leave the groceries in the car and run across the street into the building. "You're back!" the nice lady says and i tap my foot anxiously as she runs my credit card through her little charge thingy, which of course is working very slowly. the crowd has already been let into the auditorium and now i'm positive there won't be any seats left except, of course WAY back in the back.

but lo and behold when I walk in to the auditorium there are seats left......in the front row!! not right in front, but off to the left, so i grab one and sit down. the late afternoon sun is streaming through a window and almost blinding me but i'm just happy to be sitting here. a symphony musician warms up the audience by playing this really restful flute music and then all of a sudden I look over to my left and there is don miguel and his son, don jose, sitting at the end of the row! after they are introduced they walk up on the stage. for the next 2 and 1/2 hours both don miguel and his son captivate the audience with their stories - each has a unique delivery. don miguel, whose heart is working at only 16% capacity, is not supposed to even be on tour - his doctor told him he had to stay in bed for the rest of his life after his last heart attack. but he doesn't want to sit at home - going out into the world is how he connects - how he feels alive. He can't not do his work. don miguel's delivery is more quiet - almost hard to hear him at times, but his presence is riveting and the audience hung on every word.

one of the biggest messages i took home from the evening was about being skeptical and the concept of truth:

as don miguel said:

we are surrounded by many people in life, all giving us messages about how we should be in the world. we have been raised all our lives listening to these messages, so much so, that we can no longer hear the messages we are delivering to ourselves. 

have you ever asked yourself if something you heard was actually true? have you ever wondered if someone was lying to you, or worse yet, have you ever wondered, "am i lying to myself?" do you believe those voices in your head that are giving you opinions? do you tend to believe other people's opinions? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will understand that being skeptical is a good thing. 


imagine being able to walk in the world with your heart completely open, and not be afraid to be hurt. imagine living your life without being afraid to take a risk and to explore life. you are not afraid to lose anything.  you are not afraid of being alive in the world. 


there is nothing to justify,  nothing to believe. you are here just to be, for no reason. then the only thing you need to be is the real you. be happiness. be love. be yourself. that's wisdom. it's the complete acceptance of yourself  just the way you are, and the complete acceptance of everybody else just the way they are.  


but first you have to unlearn a lot and you only have one tool to do this. that tool is doubt. being skeptical is an important part of recovering what you really are because it uses the power of doubt to break all those spells you've been under. whenever you hear a message from yourself, or from someone else, simply ask: is it really true? with the power of doubt, you challenge every message you deliver and receive. you challenge every belief that rules your life. then you challenge all the beliefs that rule society, until you break the spell of all the lies and superstitions that control your world. 


no, i didn't run after don miguel like some groupie after the lecture was over and ask him for an autograph. his message was enough to bring a smile to my face. i will try to remember his message in this life where all we are is surrounded by the mitote - the millions of messages we hear everyday, streaming out of the boobtube, youtube, out of well meaning and not so well meaning folks.........its all static keeping us from hearing ourselves.

I hope you start to hear your own truth....i  know i'm going to give mine a chance.



the final thing don miguel said that stayed with me...........



the most beautiful and romantic relationship in your life is with yourself.



I'm so glad i decided to check my horoscope at the grocery store ----- and listen to that little voice.

loads of love xo♡