You gotta make the morning last.  Just kickin’ down the cobble stones, looking for fun and feeling groovy…  so go the lyrics to The 59th Street Bridge Song by Simon and Garfunkel.

I was reminded of this song the other day as I was walking the labyrinth at a beautiful retreat center nearby.  I’d never walked a labyrinth before.   The guide sheet I was reading before I entered suggested that I walk with some intention… that I either pray or ask for the answer to a question.  So, as I stood at the entrance, the question that appeared for me was merely this,  “What do I need to know?”   Now, my intellectual side says, “that’s not a very good question.  What do you need to know about what?  In order to do what?”  But my spiritual side responded,  “That’s the perfect question.  Let’s just see what unfolds.”  (only now as I write this does it occur to me that the 2 sides of me didn’t fight or resist each other… there was no judgement, no should, merely my observation that both parts of me were present.)

And so, I began my walk through the maze, appreciating the beautiful sunshine, feeling its warmth, noticing the vibrancy of the new green grass, the result of the recent rain we’ve had, and the bright pink buds on the fruit trees around the property.  My mind was still, void of thought and worry.  And then I heard a voice inside my head saying, ‘you need to slow down and feel the love around you.’

I could feel a smile spread across my face and an ease settle into my chest.  Earlier in the day I had been cranky about the fact that I was feeling unappreciated and a bit lonely.  That message made me think immediately of all of the ways a number of people had shown me love and appreciation but at the time, I’d been too busy, moving too fast to notice.

As we clamor to do things, whine and complain about what others should be doing, notice what’s wrong and what’s missing, we miss the very thing we need to move forward.

We can clear our path to change, merely by shifting our focus, altering our mindset and slowing our pace.

Pave the road to change by trying something different. ( I had never walked a labyrinth before.)  Do something that appears to have nothing to do with the change you are trying to make and see what shows up!

Just like the partnership of mind and spirit, there is a coupling of intention and allowing that carries you down the road of change.

Enjoy the journey!