A spontaneous opening on the Venice boardwalk many moons ago, on a truly auspicious day.
The Sun parts its luminous rays through the misty clouds above the Venice boardwalk.
I am on my way back to Ashland Street after my morning walkabout when I hear a spirited voice calling out toward me.
“Excuse me, but don’t I know you from somewhere?”
I glance back behind me toward the ocean’s break.
“Aren’t you the woman I met at the party last weekend? You’re the woman from Brazil, right?”
Haha. Really? I think, laughing to myself.
A Spontaneous Opening on the Venice boardwalk, many moons ago, on a truly auspicious morning.
The Sun parts its luminous rays through the misty clouds above the Venice boardwalk.
I am on my way back to Ashland Street after my morning walkabout when I hear a spirited voice calling out toward me.
“Excuse me, but don’t I know you from somewhere?”
I glance back behind me toward the ocean’s break.
“Aren’t you the woman I met at the party last weekend? You’re the woman from Brazil, right?”
Haha. Really? I think, laughing to myself.
“No, sorry. You must be thinking of someone else. Have a nice day, though.”
The man comes a little closer, bright eyed and enthusiastic.
“Are you sure we haven’t met before? I feel like I know you.”
I tell him quite confidently, “No. I think it’s pretty unlikely. I haven’t lived here for several years. I’m just visiting for the week. I did live here quite a few years ago, but that was a long time ago.”
“No, that’s not it,” he says. “Hmmm. I swear I feel like we have met before.”
Then he pauses.
“Well, I’d like to know you. Will you join me for a cup of coffee?”
“No, thank you. I’m on my way to a very important gathering this morning, and I am starting to run a little late. Nice to meet you, though.”
“How about later?” he asks.
Gently, I turn to him and say, “No, thank you. I have a boyfriend, and I really do need to be on my way now.”
“But I really want to get to know you. Can I at least have your phone number?”
My God, I think to myself. Persistent, this guy.
Yikes.
Wow.
Really?
This guy is not giving up.
But something inside me prompts me to listen.
To stay open.
Not to abandon my boundaries, but to pay attention.
I am on the boardwalk in broad daylight, surrounded by people walking by. I feel safe enough to pause and listen more closely to what is really being asked of me.
So I turn to him and ask, “Why? Why do you want to meet with me so badly? What is so important about meeting with me?”
“I don’t know,” he says. “You just have something. You have something I don’t.”
“Really? What is that?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he says. “It’s just something about you. Are you sure we can’t meet?”
I take a moment to drop in and listen deeply.
I recognize that this experience is here to teach me something. Otherwise, I would have already gotten the signal to be on my way.
What is keeping me engaged with this person? I wonder.
I allow my thoughts to slow down and tune into what is really being asked of me.
Aha.
That’s it.
Today is graduation day for Art of God, a three year program devoted to being who and what I am in reality.
And here it is.
An opportunity to put it all into practice.
To bring the experience into life in an authentic way.
Right now.
Right here.
Spontaneously.
On the Venice boardwalk.
With a complete stranger.
So, with enthusiasm, I turn toward him and say, “Ok. I will meet with you.”
“Really?” he asks, his face full of astonishment, completely stunned by the sudden turn of events.
“Yes.”
“Great. When will we meet? Where?”
“Right here. Right now. For FIVE minutes.”
He looks at me, startled.
“Now? Five minutes?”
“Yes. NOW. I have five minutes before I need to go so I will not be late.”
“Here? Really? Right now?”
“Yes. Right here. Right NOW. For five minutes. Ok?”
He becomes flustered with excitement, almost jumping up and down.
“Ok,” he agrees.
“Ok,” I say. “Let’s get started. Are you ready? Remember, I only have five minutes.”
I start to feel his resistance grow as he withdraws a bit in my presence.
This must be completely blowing his mind.
Unexpected.
I am not sure what he had in mind, but here we are.
I turn toward him.
“So, you said that I have something you don’t. Did I hear you correctly?”
He nods.
“Do you know what that something is? And do you really think that is true?”
Looking a bit stunned and perplexed, he stammers.
“I don’t know. It’s just something about you. You’re different.”
I respond in a calm and steady tone.
“What if I told you that what I have, you have too?”
“No way,” he says, waving his hands in the air in complete disbelief. “Absolutely not.”
“Trust me,” I say. “You do. We all do. Some of us are just more aware of it.”
I pause.
“Would you like to experience it for yourself?”
He looks at me.
“Ok,” he says sheepishly.
“Here,” I say. “Take hold of my hands. And remember, what you are about to feel is what you are. I am simply holding a space for you to experience your own capacity to feel it for yourself.”
I can feel my teacher, BrooksY, smiling from afar.
We first stand in silence facing each other.
Holding hands.
Grounding with our feet firmly planted on the Earth.
Preparing to go further.
I ask the enthusiastic man for permission to continue.
He responds with a resounding yes.
I feel his gratitude. His warmth. His willingness.
He begins to relax deeper into the space. I can feel that he trusts me, and that I trust him.
A few moments pass.
The energy begins to build gradually.
Palpably.
A warm glow appears on his face. He responds beautifully to what is flowing between us.
“Wow,” he says. “What is happening to me? What is this? Who are you?”
“This is you,” I say. “This is you experiencing you.”
I explain gently.
“What is happening is that you are opening and remembering who and what you are. The light within you is being rekindled. The same light that lives within me, within everyone, within everything. This is happening naturally and spontaneously because you are choosing to be open here. It is your natural state.”
Animated and excited, he says, “No way. This is you, not me. This is you. It has to be.”
“Trust me,” I say. “This is you. Yes, you can feel me here holding space, but what you are feeling is your own light. Your own connection. We are opening here together.”
He continues to soften.
Before me, I witness a beautiful and radiant man emerging.
A bewildered and stunned look appears upon his face.
“Who are you?” he asks. “Are you like Jesus or something?”
I giggle.
“No.”
He seems elated. Happy. Still quite surprised by it all.
I continue to hold space as he relaxes and integrates what has opened.
Slowly, he returns from the expanded state into full awareness of our surroundings.
The cloud cover has now moved in, and there is a little chill in the air.
He notices my hands are cold.
“Did I do this to you?” he asks. “Your hands are cold.”
“No,” I say. “Don’t worry about that. I get cold easily.”
“Did I hurt you?” he asks.
“No. You didn’t hurt me at all. The weather shifted. I will be ok. Thank you for asking though.”
Both of us smiling and giddy, with a bright new glow, everything relaxes.
We stand there for a moment longer, grateful for the exchange. Returning to a more embodied and grounded sense of Self.
There is a feeling of kinship and trust between us now. Something has completed.
Spontaneously, we let go of each other’s hands.
Five minutes have passed.
It is time for me to be on my way.
He thanks me.
I thank him.
We say our friendly farewells.
No further inquiry about phone numbers.
No further invitations for a coffee date.
Nothing of the sort.
He goes his way.
I go mine.
It truly is amazing what can happen in five minutes. And what can open when we stay just curious enough to listen.
“No, sorry. You must be thinking of someone else. Have a nice day, though.”
The man comes a little closer, bright eyed and enthusiastic.
“Are you sure we haven’t met before? I feel like I know you.”
I tell him quite confidently, “No. I think it’s pretty unlikely. I haven’t lived here for several years. I’m just visiting for the week. I did live here quite a few years ago, but that was a long time ago.”
“No, that’s not it,” he says. “Hmmm. I swear I feel like we have met before.”
Then he pauses.
“Well, I’d like to know you. Will you join me for a cup of coffee?”
“No, thank you. I’m on my way to a very important gathering this morning, and I am starting to run a little late. Nice to meet you, though.”
“How about later?” he asks.
Gently, I turn to him and say, “No, thank you. I have a boyfriend, and I really do need to be on my way now.”
“But I really want to get to know you. Can I at least have your phone number?”
My God, I think to myself. Persistent, this guy.
Yikes.
Wow.
Really?
This guy is not giving up.
But something inside me prompts me to listen.
To stay open.
Not to abandon my boundaries, but to pay attention.
I am on the boardwalk in broad daylight, surrounded by people walking by. I feel safe enough to pause and listen more closely to what is really being asked of me.
So I turn to him and ask, “Why? Why do you want to meet with me so badly? What is so important about meeting with me?”
“I don’t know,” he says. “You just have something. You have something I don’t.”
“Really? What is that?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he says. “It’s just something about you. Are you sure we can’t meet?”
I take a moment to drop in and listen deeply.
I recognize that this experience is here to teach me something. Otherwise, I would have already gotten the signal to be on my way.
What is keeping me engaged with this person? I wonder.
I allow my thoughts to slow down and tune into what is really being asked of me.
Aha.
That’s it.
Today is graduation day for Art of God, a three year program devoted to being who and what I am in reality.
And here it is.
An opportunity to put it all into practice.
To bring the experience into life in an authentic way.
Right now.
Right here.
Spontaneously.
On the Venice boardwalk.
With a complete stranger.
So, with enthusiasm, I turn toward him and say, “Ok. I will meet with you.”
“Really?” he asks, his face full of astonishment, completely stunned by the sudden turn of events.
“Yes.”
“Great. When will we meet? Where?”
“Right here. Right now. For FIVE minutes.”
He looks at me, startled.
“Now? Five minutes?”
“Yes. NOW. I have five minutes before I need to go so I will not be late.”
“Here? Really? Right now?”
“Yes. Right here. Right NOW. For five minutes. Ok?”
He becomes flustered with excitement, almost jumping up and down.
“Ok,” he agrees.
“Ok,” I say. “Let’s get started. Are you ready? Remember, I only have five minutes.”
I start to feel his resistance grow as he withdraws a bit in my presence.
This must be completely blowing his mind.
Unexpected.
I am not sure what he had in mind, but here we are.
I turn toward him.
“So, you said that I have something you don’t. Did I hear you correctly?”
He nods.
“Do you know what that something is? And do you really think that is true?”
Looking a bit stunned and perplexed, he stammers.
“I don’t know. It’s just something about you. You’re different.”
I respond in a calm and steady tone.
“What if I told you that what I have, you have too?”
“No way,” he says, waving his hands in the air in complete disbelief. “Absolutely not.”
“Trust me,” I say. “You do. We all do. Some of us are just more aware of it.”
I pause.
“Would you like to experience it for yourself?”
He looks at me.
“Ok,” he says sheepishly.
“Here,” I say. “Take hold of my hands. And remember, what you are about to feel is what you are. I am simply holding a space for you to experience your own capacity to feel it for yourself.”
I can feel my teacher, BrooksY, smiling from afar.
We first stand in silence facing each other.
Holding hands.
Grounding with our feet firmly planted on the Earth.
Preparing to go further.
I ask the enthusiastic man for permission to continue.
He responds with a resounding yes.
I feel his gratitude. His warmth. His willingness.
He begins to relax deeper into the space. I can feel that he trusts me, and that I trust him.
A few moments pass.
The energy begins to build gradually.
Palpably.
A warm glow appears on his face. He responds beautifully to what is flowing between us.
“Wow,” he says. “What is happening to me? What is this? Who are you?”
“This is you,” I say. “This is you experiencing you.”
I explain gently.
“What is happening is that you are opening and remembering who and what you are. The light within you is being rekindled. The same light that lives within me, within everyone, within everything. This is happening naturally and spontaneously because you are choosing to be open here. It is your natural state.”
Animated and excited, he says, “No way. This is you, not me. This is you. It has to be.”
“Trust me,” I say. “This is you. Yes, you can feel me here holding space, but what you are feeling is your own light. Your own connection. We are opening here together.”
He continues to soften.
Before me, I witness a beautiful and radiant man emerging.
A bewildered and stunned look appears upon his face.
“Who are you?” he asks. “Are you like Jesus or something?”
I giggle.
“No.”
He seems elated. Happy. Still quite surprised by it all.
I continue to hold space as he relaxes and integrates what has opened.
Slowly, he returns from the expanded state into full awareness of our surroundings.
The cloud cover has now moved in, and there is a little chill in the air.
He notices my hands are cold.
“Did I do this to you?” he asks. “Your hands are cold.”
“No,” I say. “Don’t worry about that. I get cold easily.”
“Did I hurt you?” he asks.
“No. You didn’t hurt me at all. The weather shifted. I will be ok. Thank you for asking though.”
Both of us smiling and giddy, with a bright new glow, everything relaxes.
We stand there for a moment longer, grateful for the exchange. Returning to a more embodied and grounded sense of Self.
There is a feeling of kinship and trust between us now. Something has completed.
Spontaneously, we let go of each other’s hands.
Five minutes have passed.
It is time for me to be on my way.
He thanks me.
I thank him.
We say our friendly farewells.
No further inquiry about phone numbers.
No further invitations for a coffee date.
Nothing of the sort.
He goes his way.
I go mine.
It truly is amazing what can happen in five minutes. And what can open when we stay just curious enough to listen.