Sustaining the Change....

·         I walked 2 ½ miles one way, testing my endurance and strength, through rugged terrain to stand at the foot of a magnificent waterfall and dive into its power to swim.

·         I enjoyed the company of fabulous young women from the Widhya Asih IV Orphanage for a pool party and ice cream and became inspired to sponsor one.

·         I stayed in the village of Sudaji at OmUnity where we visited a school, had a talent show with the village kids, and immersed myself in what life might be like if I were born here for 5 days.

·         I experienced a luxurious massage in an open air hut, overlooking the rice paddies and valleys of Bali, while a light rain fell around me.

·         I had rich and deep conversations with my fellow travelers and made lifelong soul friends.

It was these moments and many others that create the spiritual landscape of my life as I return from Bali.  The pace and material wealth of my homeland, America, hits me in the face as I get through customs.  Sheltered from the hustle and bustle of Christmas, I suddenly feel my heart catching up to the rest of what you all have been experiencing the last two weeks I was gone.   I am suddenly compelled to make my list, check and recheck, buy, buy, buy.  It takes much effort to restrain myself and return to the Zen state that Bali created for me.  That state feeling much more authentic and comfortable for me than the frenetic me I return to.

How can I incorporate what I felt about myself and others during the Bali experience into my world?  How can I create that sense of knowing and centeredness when everything around me is pulling me towards wanting what I do not have and feeling inadequate?

So, here is my Christmas wish list this year:  Dear Santa, I would like to beat to my own drum and not be led by the beat of another.  I choose.  I want to follow my passions in life and learn to be a sieve, catch what I want and need and let the rest run by me.  I want to live fully while I am here and use my life and the blessings I have for the good of those around me and those with less.  I wish for a little less harder and a lot more bliss (thank you Jennifer Nettles).  Lastly, when I am off my track in life, I want the clarity and awareness of that fact and the knowledge to get back on my true path. 

Wishing you all the blessings of the winter season and some little inner Buddha whispering to you, beckoning you back to authenticity, to your truth.

Namaste’ Christie