The Road Signs of Life: Learning From Mistakes and The Blessings of Listening

Have you ever noticed that sometimes, even though people are given a sign telling them the right lane or left lane is closed in two or three miles, people ignore the road signs they are given and continue to ride their lane until they are forced to move over? I was driving home the other day and saw the sign to merge, so I did; however, there were plenty of people that ignored the sign and pretty soon, traffic was backed up because those same people were forcing their way into the other lanes. Those people wait until the absolute last second before they merge into the other lane. I am not saying that I have never been one of those people, but it does make you stop and think why we do what we do sometimes in spite of being given warning signs.

This same concept can be applied to everyday living: to life. Sometimes, we are given warning signs. Our bodies tell us when we are getting sick, but sometimes we ignore it until we feel worse than we would have if we had listened to our bodies. Other times, we are given a feeling not to go down this alley, not to take the bus, to take a different road, and other feelings. Some call this premonition and others call it the Holy Spirit. No matter what you call it, if we listen to those premonitions, we may avoid a car crash, seedy encounters in the dark alley or whatever we may be protecting ourselves from. Or if we ignore those feelings, we may find ourselves in situations that we are uncomfortable with or could lead to injury.

Other times, the premonitions, feelings, little pushes, or the Holy Spirit guide us to blessings too. The most recent example in my own life was simply the little pushes to go to a party that my friend was holding. I was nervous and have a tendency to keep myself from going outside my own set boundaries because I don't want to be hurt, but with the little pushes, I went beyond those boundaries and met some new, amazing people and reacquainted with old friends. If I hadn't listened to the little pushes, I would not have met them and would not be experiencing the life I am experiencing right now.

Whether attributed to the Holy Spirit, premonition, the body defending itself or little, subtle pushes, the road signs of life are important and should be listened to. Like the road signs warning us of lane closures or wrecks up ahead, we are guided by something to protect and save us from events that could cause us harm, whether emotional, physical, or psychological. We are guided to new people that bless and change our lives or hurt us and teach us more than we would have learned otherwise. Sometimes, we never get to see what could have been and we never get to know what would have happened if we hadn't listened. Other times, we see the blessings and grow from the experience.

Any way you look at it, I think it is important to take closer looks at those premonitions, those little pushes, or the still, small voice because you never know what you are being guided to or away from. I am extremely grateful to the universe for the little pushes and the premonitions. I have been blessed in many ways because I chose to listen. And you can be blessed and grow too.

Namaste.

"Can You Hear Me Now?": Grateful for the Technological Advances of Our Generation

It's day 12 of my days of Thanksgiving. As I thought about the something that I am grateful for, I was thinking about the phone call I received this morning from my mother. She called to tell me she has been on an emotional journey.

 "What made you go on this emotional journey, Mom?" I asked, driving back from the gym. It was common of her to call me during the week, but usually the reason she has been on an emotional journey is because of something bad that I may have done, said, or posted, but since I knew I hadn't done anything like that, I waited for her reply.

"I read your blog today," she said. I waited for her to continue, but there was a silence on the other side of the line. Then, I could hear her sniffling and I knew that she was crying. "I am grateful for the way that you write," she cried as I imagined the tears welling up in her eyes. "You write with such emotion and some of the things you write about, I wouldn't have even thought of. It is kind of like you say when you say that we take for granted some of the things we have been blessed with. I am proud of you and just wanted to tell you that I love you. I asked your dad if I could make comments on your blog. He said I could and then he said that I could just call and tell you, so I decided to call and tell you."

"Thanks, Mom," I said as the tears began to well up in my own eyes. When my mom cries, whether good or bad tears, I always cry. "That means a lot to me. I am glad that you are crying happy tears this time and not the kind that I have made you cry in the past. I guess this kinda makes up for the sad tears I have made you cry." I laughed and could hear the sparkle in her own laugh. We continued to talk for another ten minutes and then we said our goodbyes and went on with our separate days. 

Tonight, as I considered the conversation, I realized that without the blessing of technology (cellphones, satellites, and many other things), I wouldn't be able to just randomly call my mom and dad and talk to them. I wouldn't be able to pick up my cellphone and send them pictures or random texts. I wouldn't be able to tell friends and family that I love them even though they are miles away from me. So, today, I am very grateful for the blessing of technology.

I wonder what it would be like without the technology we have today. I realize that life would be different and we would be back to the old fashioned way of sending messages via the coach or the post. E-mail and text messaging make conversation, though digital, a lot faster and a lot easier to know that the ones we love are still at the touch of a button. Life would definitely be a lot different if we didn't have the gadgets and gizmos that we have in abundance. So, I am grateful to the brilliant minds that came up with the technology that we enjoy everyday of our lives and that allow me to keep in touch with the ones I love. I am truly blessed.

What are you grateful for....?