HAVE FUN !
IN 2014 MY HUSBAND AND I SPENT NINE MONTHS HUNTING FOR A NEW APARTMENT. WE LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY, WHICH IS A COMPETITIVE MARKET THAT CAN MAKE RENTING OR BUYING REAL ESTATE CHALLENGING. IN ADDITION, OUR SEARCH HAPPENED TO COINCIDE WITH ONE OF THE BEST SELLER'S MARKETS IN RECENT HISTORY. CONSEQUENTLY, EACH NEW VIEWING WOULD LEAVE US MORE AND MORE DEPRESSED. OUR REACTION TO EVERYTHING WAS, "UGH, ANOTHER OVERPRICED, CRAPTASTIC LISTING!".
WE QUICKLY LOST SIGHT OF THE JOY THAT COMES WITH BUYING YOUR FIRST HOME. INSTEAD WE STARTED TO FEEL TERRIBLE BECAUSE WE WERE GETTING PRICED OUT OF NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO LIVE IN. THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE WAS BRINGING US DOWN. IN TIME WE STARTED TO GET SICK, FIGHT, AND LOSE FAITH IN OUR DREAM HOME.
THEN ONE NIGHT, AFTER SPENDING THREE HOURS IN BROOKLYN TOURING OVERPRICED APARTMENTS ALL IN NEED OF GUT RENOVATIONS, WE BOTH UNRAVELED. MY HUSBAND WAS ANGRY AND RECITING HIS MANTRA, "THIS IS UN-FUN. THIS IS UN-FUN". I WAS GETTING FRUSTRATED BECAUSE WE'D SPEND SO MUCH TIME AND ENERGY TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING THAT DIDN'T SEEM TO EXIST. THEN, IN THE MIDST OF A MINI MELTDOWN. I SAID THE MAGIC WORDS TO MY HUSBAND. "THERE HAS TO BE A BETTER WAY. LET'S PRAY FOR A CREATIVE SOLUTION". HE NODDED YES, AND WE PRAYED. I SAID, "THANK YOU, UNIVERSE, FOR OPENING US UP TO CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES. WE SURRENDER OUR PLANS TO YOU. SHOW US WHAT YOU'VE GOT". WITHIN SECONDS WE BOTH FELT LIGHTER. A SMILE CAME OVER ME AS I SETTLED INTO THE FEELING OF SURRENDER. AND MY HUNBAND WAS NOW SMILING TOO. HE WAS THRILLED THAT WE'D FINALLY RELEASED OUR NEED TO CONTROL. IN OUR SURRENDER WE'D REALIGNED WITH THE TRUE SOURCE OF POWER- THE UNIVERSE.
IN THAT SURRENDER, AN INSPIRED IDEA CAME FORTH. I SAID TO MY HUSBAND. "HONEY, YOU KNOW HOW WE ALWAYS DREAMED OF LIVING IN THE COUNTRY? WHY DON'T WE REVERSE OUR SEARCH AND CHECK OUT SOME HOUSES UPSTATE?". HE LOOKED AT ME WITH EXCITEMENT AND SAID, "THA SOUNDS FUN". WE WERE BACK IN ACTION! FORTY-FIVE MINUTES LATER, MY HUSBAND HAD FOUND FOUR LISTINGS IN THE COUNTRY. WITHIN 24 HOURS WE'D CONNECTED WITH A REAL ESTATE AGENT AND SET UP A TOUR OF ALL FOUR HOUSES, INCLUDING A REALLY AWESOME ONE ON A MOUNTAIN. THAT SUNDAY WE HEADED NORTH.
UNIVERSAL LESSON : THE UNIVERSE WORKS
FAST WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN
THE FIRST HOUSE WE VISITED WAS THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE. AS WE APPOACHED IT, MY HUSBAND SAID, "THIS IS THE ONE. I CAN FEEL IT". WE PULLED INTO A MAGICAL DRIVEWAY, HUNDREDS OF YARDS LONG, THAT WOUND ITS WAY UP A STEEP PATH CUT THROUGH THE WOODS. THE DRIVE EMPTIED INTO A CHARMING WORLD OF ENGLISH GARDENS AND STONE WALLS. HERE AND THERE, MARBLE OBJECTS AND UNUSUAL PLANTINGS JOYFULLY PLAYED WITH THE BEAUTY OF THE NATURAL LANDSCAPING. SURROUNDINGS THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE WERE TREES DISPLAYING EVERY COLOR OF FOLIAGE. AND THE CENTERPIECE OF THE LIVING ROOM WAS A VIEW THAT STRETCHED FOR MILES. SEEING THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME WAS AT ONCE EXCITING AND CALMING. THE MOMENT WE WALKED INTO THE HOUSE, I FELT A RUSH OF LOVING ENERGY MOVE THROUGH MY BODY. I SAID TO MY HUSBAND AND THE AGENT, "THIS IS MAKES NO SENSE, BUT I FEEL AT HOME". WE WENT ON TO LOOK AT A FEW MORE HOUSES, BUT NONE OF THEM SEEMED TO MAKE US FEEL US GOOD AS THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE DID.
OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, WE VISITED THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE SEVERAL MORE TIME TO GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPERTY. ON OUR FOURTH VISIT, WE INVITED OUR PARENTS ALONG TO GET THEIR OPINIONS. THE DAY BEFORE OUR PARENTS ALONG TO GET THEIR OPINIONS. THE DAY BEFORE OUR PARENTS VISIT, I WAS THE PHONE WITH MY DEAR FRIEND COLETTE BARON-REID, WHO HAPPENS TO BE A POWERFUL PSYCHIC MEDIUM. I WAS TELLING COLETTE ALL ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE. I SHARED MY EXCITEMENT AND MY UNCERTAINLY. SHE SAID, "HAVE YOU ASKED FOR A SIGN?" I REPLIED, "A SIGN, WHAT'S THAT?", SHE WENT ON TO EXPLAIN THAT WHENVER SHE MOVES INTO A NEW HOME, SHE ASKS FOR A SIGN. HER SIGN IS A DRAGONFLY. SHE SAID THAT WHEN SHE FOUND HER LAST HOME, SHE KNEW IT WAS HERS WHEN SHE FOUND HER LAST HOME, SHE KNEW IT WAS HERS WHEN SHE SAW A BOOK IN THE HOUSE WITH A DRAGONFLY ON THE COVER.
I LOVED THE IDEA OF ASKING FOR A SIGN. I SAID TO COLETTE, "I REALLY DIG THE DRAGONFLY. BUT MY SIGN WILL BE AN OWL". I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I CHOSE THE OWL. MAYBE THE OWL CHOSE ME?
SO WE SET OFF TO VISIT THE HOUSE WITH OUR PARENTS. THE MOMENT WE ARRIVED, I NOTICED A GIFT CARD ON THE KITCHEN TABLE WITH A DRAGONFLY ON IT! I TOOK THAT AS A PRELIMINARY SIGN. THOUGH I'D FOUND COLETTE'S DRAGONFLY, I WAS STILL COMMITTED TO FINDING MY OWL. I SCOURED THE HOUSE SEARCHING FOR THE OWL. I WAS LOOKING FOR THE OWL EVERYWHERE - ON BOOKS, IN THE TREES, EVEN ON DISHWARE. BY THE TIME WE WERE READY TO LEAVE THE HOUSE,I STILL HADN'T FOUND MY OWL. I TEXTED COLETTE AND SAID, "I DIDN'T FIND MY OWL, BUT I FOUND YOUR DRAGONFLY"! SHE REPLIED, "GREAT! WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE DRAGONFLY SO THAT'S ENOUGH:.
COLOETTE'S REPLY CALMED ME DOWN, AND WE GO IN THE CAR TO HEAD HOME. BEFORE WE GOT ON THE HIGHWAY, MY HUSBAND AND I STOPPED IN TOWN FOR A COFFEE. WHEN WE WERE WALKING BACK TO OUR CAR, I TURNED TO THE LEFT AND GLANCED AT THE BUMPER OF A CAR NEXT TO OURS. ON THE BUMBPER WAS STICKER OF A MASSIVE FLYING OWL. I SCREAMED, " I FOUND OUR OWL!". IT WAS BIG SIGN THAT THE UNIVERSE HAD OUR BACK.
A FEW WEEKS LATER, WE MADE AN OFFER ON THE HOUSE, AND IT WAS ACCEPTED INSTANTLY. AS EXCITED AS WE WERE, WE WERE ALSO NERVOUS. BECAUSE THIS WAS WE WERE, WE WERE ALSO VERY BOTH WARY OF GETTING TOO EXCITED BEFORE THE PAPERWORK WAS SIGNED.
IN THE PROCESS OF NEGOTIATING THE FINAL TERMS ON THE CONTRACT, WE TRAVELED LONDON BECAUSE I HAD SEVERAL SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS. WHILE I WAS IN LONDON. MY FEAR BEGAN CREEPING UP ON ME.
RATHER THAN LEFT FEAR AND UNCERTAINLY GET THE BEST OF ME, I CHOSE TO PRAY ABOUT IT. I HAD AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION WITH THE UNIVERSE. I SAID, "THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME ONCE AGAIN THAT I AM ON THE RIGHT PATH. UNIVERSE, I THINK I NEED MORE OWLS...."
WHEN YOU'RE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE HIGHEST GOOD, THE UNIVERSE WORKS FAST. WITHIN AN HOUR OF SAYING THIS FITI STREET ART OWLS, OWL PILLOWS IN STORE WINDOWS, OWLS ON CLOTHIG. OWLS ALL OVER LONDON!
LATER THAT NIGHT I HAD SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT AT A BEAUTIFUL CHURCH CALLED THE SAINT JAMES CATHEDRAL. THE LOVELY SOUNDMAN AT THE CHURCH ALWAYS GIVES THE SPEAKERS A POSTCARD ADORNED WITH ONE OF HIS PAINTINGS. IN THE PAST HE'S GIVEN ME A PAINTING OF A BEAR. THIS NIGHT HE WHOWED UP WITH TWO PAINTINGS. HE SAID, "I KNEW YOUR HUSBAND WAS COMING, SO I BROUGHT YOU BOTH A PIECE OF MY ART". HE HANDED THE FIRST PAINTING, A BEAR, TO MY HUSBAND. THEN HE SAID, " I 'M NOT SURE WHY, BUT I HAD A FEELING THIS ONE WAS FOR YOU.. THEN HE HANDED ME A PAINTING OF AN OWL! IN THIS MOMENT I SIGHED WITH RELIEF KNOWING THAT THE UNIVERSE TRULY HAD BY BACK. I THANKED HIM FOR THE GIFT AND THANKED THE UNIVERSE FOR THE SIGN.
TWO WEEKS LATER, MY HUSBAND AND I CLOSED ON OUR MOUNTAIN HOUSE.
THE MOMENT WE WERE WILLING TO SHIFT OUR INTERNAL PROJECTIONS, WE SHIFTED OUR PERCEPTIONS. WHEN WE TURNED TO PRAYER AND INNER GUIDANCE, WE WERE LED TO CREATIVE POSSIBILITIES.
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