My favorite place to write to you is a coffee shop, and today is extra special because this picture is my view from the one I’m currently working in. I’m going to be living in Belize for the next few months, so welcome to my new office!
I’ve been here for a week so far, and I’ve already felt like leaving at least three times. When we were here on vacation six weeks ago, on a whim, my dear husband, Michael, applied to teach at the medical school here. I thought it was cute! I NEVER thought he would be offered a position and that he would accept, all within one week.
Now, let me tell you, I am READY for a new adventure. I think, sometimes, the older you get, the more STUCK you become in your ways. It’s hard for me to admit I’ve been a little stuck myself. I have my routines, and while they change from time to time, they’re pretty deeply set. I like my routine because I made it… it’s comfortable for me.
In my younger years, I always dreamed of moving to a foreign country and experiencing a different culture, weather, people etc. I’m not sure when I “forgot” about that dream, but it seems it never forgot me.
This is what I want to talk to you about today: knowing how to listen to that innermost part of you as you grow older. For the sake of simplicity, let’s call it your soul, although you can really give it any name you’re comfortable with.
Do you know how your soul speaks to you?
What I know for sure is it doesn’t speak to you through your mind. In my case, when making the decision to come to Belize, my mind went CRAZY! It said things like, “How can you just leave?” “What if ____ happens?” There were so many what ifs in my mind I almost said NO!
But something stopped me from turning down this adventure, and I believe it was the deepest part of me: my soul, which used my body sensations to talk to me. As you know, I believe all emotions are felt through the body first. If your mind and body are connected, you know your own yeses and nos. When Michael first told me about this offer, I felt tingles all over my body and butterflies in my stomach. That was my body’s way of communicating with me, and it’s how your “body compass” tells you what to do, too. These sensations are definitely a “yes, please!”
Well, you know the outcome, because here I am in Belize. You also know my mind hasn’t stopped scaring me in my first week. But, somehow, it feels scary and right simultaneously. Every day, living in a foreign land gets a little easier… especially since that foreign land is many people’s definition of paradise. My thinking is getting clearer; I know I’m on an adventure, and adventures don’t mean comfort, they mean risk. Growth comes from risk, not comfort. I always want to be growing.
Earlier this week, during one of those times when I wanted to come home, I was in a coffee shop and I saw on the table this picture. It found me when I needed the message most.
Moral of today’s story: learn to follow your heart (your soul). It will never lead you astray. I am being led and so are you. The more aligned you become with your “essential self,” the more peaceful you will feel in your own body. And the more aligned you feel in your body, the less you will want to eat your emotions. It’s the only way to a healthy, fit body AND a great life. They kind of go together!
Stay tuned… the adventure continues!
Love and peace!
Dr. Deb
