As I drove home from Montreal last evening, it was hard not to be in awe. A crest of a new moon loomed on the horizon, so large that I felt if I simply reached for it I would be able to touch it. The sky to the west shifted from yellow to orange to pink and purple over the span of just a few minutes. As I drove over the Isle Eaux Tourtes, Lake of Two Mountains caught on fire with the reflected colours of the setting sun. I found myself thinking, “How could I forget how beautiful this all is?” It was breath taking and breath giving all in one moment.
It is easy to get caught up in the everyday activities of living. I am guilty of this, occupied with the daily tasks of running a business or simply caught up in life. When I am called back to what is right in front of me, when I allow myself to take in the beauty that surrounds me, I find myself diving into amazing gratitude for the abundance surrounding me. I remember how lucky I am to live where I live, in the country I live in, a country free of the turmoil that occupies the psyches of most of the countries in the world.
It seems like there’s no balance, at least in the way the world is presented to us by the powers at be. Faced with a choice of being in the beauty of this amazing evening or drawn into the busy-ness of life. In this moment I decided to choose beauty. It was simply a SIGN to fuel my soul with something more meaningful than the everyday.
It has been a season of SIGNS. Have you noticed the butterflies? Often mistaken for monarchs, the butterflies descending upon us this year are red admirals who arrived in huge numbers due to the early spring and ongoing summer conditions. From Windsor Ontario to the Nova Scotia border, clouds of them have settled into country meadows. In 12 years of country living I have never experienced such an abundance of winged beauty. Butterfly brings with it the message of metamorphosis, change. Given the predictions for this year 2012 and the ‘spiritual revolution’ underway, I have to wonder if this extraordinary explosion of butterflies is a significant SIGN.
And what about snake skins? We found a skin in one of our trees the other morning as we walked the labyrinth. Evidently the tree branches aided the snake in shedding the old layer and left the remnants of his old life behind. Snake crossing your path is about death and re-birth, the shedding of old skins and releasing what no longer serves you. I am wondering about my new skin and what I am about to step into.
Sunsets, butterflies and snake skins – all SIGNS? It would seem so. You could say it’s just what I noticed along the way, and this would be true. And isn’t that what SIGNS are anyway – messages, hidden meanings, or little pokes in the side asking if you are paying attention to your life. You can certainly choose to think that they are just random happenings and yet, when they catch your attention, you are left to ponder the meaning.
Reality – you can make something out of nothing and I choose too. I believe life is full of messages, some subtle, some screaming in your ear. Likewise I believe SIGNS are easy to ignore as it is so easy to pass that by But what if….
- Set an Intention – Pay Attention – Be in No Tension
It may be time for all of us to be more alert. In our coaching we always teach that after setting an INTENTION, pay ATTENTION as there may be a SIGN in the wings letting you know that what you desire is happening. It’s time to be curious and to be present with what life is offering us. I hope to see you out there SIGN Spotting along with me!
Fascinating! Betty, I too was travelling from Montreal returning to Ottawa only it was yesterday evening and the magnificent masterpiece of day meeting evening that lit up the horizion actually caught my attention just as I approached the exit to your place. I too was awestruck and for an instant I was spell bound and captured in the moment. Then I realized that I was just down the road from you and Jim. Intersting that you would post this road sign & I would read it this evening. Looking forward to see everyone this weekend!