Wellness Retreat

Two weeks ago, I attended a spiritual retreat in beautiful Sedona, Arizona. It was a magical time in a high-energy location, full of natural wonders that made me feel like Alice in Wonderland. These inexplicable Truths are best told with parables, or in today’s lingo, some good old storytelling.  Last week I gave you my lessons to living a mindful life.  This week I’ll share the amazing stories of synchrodestiny that make it impossible to any longer deny the power these lessons hold within.

On this amazing weekend retreat, I met like-minded people, who believe there is a 6^th sense (in the simplest terms), and desire to unleash that power. The energy in this place was amazing. Here are some small simple stories that validate this reality for me.

1. I literally felt my body vibrating in bed the first night.  Like one of these hotels that used to put quarters in and the bed would vibrate?  Like that, but a tingling in my body.  Like when you get chills but aren’t cold, or goosebumps without the bumps or excited without the…well, excitement.
2. I woke up in the middle of the night at 1:30am to use the bathroom. After I went back to bed, a few random thoughts ran through my mind.  I turned over to check the time and it was 5am. It was getting light outside!  I literally experienced A Wrinkle in Time. I was like WTF? I am not kidding, people.  Freaked. Me. Out.  I Knew I was in a magical place, and like Alice, I kept going.  I got out of bed and went to watch the sunrise. It was amazing.
3. Later, I asked this lady if she was a healer, and she ignored me. Later she confessed that she had been called to Healing but wasn’t pursuing it out of fear, and she was a bit freaked out that I had asked her that question.
4. I told a new friend that she was just an angel and smelled good too. What is that fragrance?  She said it’s called, you guessed it–Angel.

Still, don’t believe that the universe is speaking to us directly and responding to our truest purpose?  There are no coincidences, only conversations.  Below is only a snippet that assures me of my place as a participant in the cosmic dance.

I walked a labyrinth which is like a maze that is used as a meditation and prayer tool.  We were to find a stone that represented where we were stuck in our life.  Then walk the labyrinth, and only when we were truly ready to let go of the burden to drop the stone and complete the labyrinth. My burden was body image.  I asked that I not be so consumed by my aging body.  I give waaayyy too much energy in missing the younger me who was so fit, toned and able. On this walk, I dropped the rock and asked the universe to support me in dissolving the body image trap; to keep me on a journey of wellness that isn’t measured by the outside, but rather what is important-- how we serve and treat others, and how we treat ourselves.

Walking the labyrinth probably only took maybe 20 minutes, but time did not wrinkle, it expanded!  I literally went on the journey of my lifetime, and it was my personal excavation.  When I finished, emotionally charged, I stood on the hill with the amazing horizon behind me to take a selfie and capture the moment.  Two ladies asked if they could take the picture for me.  They told me how beautiful I am, and that they had been looking at me all morning.  They used the word gorgeous. So of course, I broke down crying.  I’ve never had such an immediate response from prayer.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.

I posted the selfie I had taken on Facebook and got back so many comments on how radiant I looked. You saw it.  Practically every day since then I have had overwhelming compliments that make it unmistakable that the universe is FOR me and working on my behalf.

I met a friend and her parents for dinner before my flight back home.  I could feel her mother, a no-nonsense college professor from Lagos, Nigeria, sizing me up. After a small questioning about my job, my kids, and husband situation, she went on to ask me how I could have children in their twenties when I look so young!  And went on to say how do I stay so small with a husband as a Chef.  And she told me my business was Intelligent.  Really?  I just love Abbey’s mom.

Yesterday, I went to Ulta, and the makeup artists told ME they loved MY makeup.  They asked me did I want a job. My muffin top apparently offends no one but me. Oh, I’m not done…

When I was leaving the Fresh Market, two guys walked by and stopped me, and said, you look great.  Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. What, Eating? Aging? LOL.

But it’s true… I’m eating mindfully and following the principles I wrote about last week and in my book, and God is supporting me so I cannot even doubt that I am in my purpose.

Last story. I told my friend, who leads a support group of friends for weight maintenance, that I was bowing out of the group and putting my scale away.  She said “OK.  Have a wonderful year of mindful eating.”  I think at this point, everyone gets me, and sometimes I just have to catch up to myself.

Believe that everything is perspective, and the Universe is FOR YOU.  Take control of your life.  Find your power, drop the barriers.  The universe is your oyster.  Seriously. I am a Believer.

Thanks for taking the journey of this lifetime with me.

Namaste.

UGottaEat…So eat mindfully.