the sound of Life

Just what we are looking for...just not in the right place

I get alerts on-line when a new listing comes up in Middlebury, and this one came up the other day. I almost felt dizzy with excitement when I first saw it. It’s an old church that has been thoughtfully converted into home, but it doesn’t meet one of the most important “musts” for me, which is to be within walking distance of downtown.

I really love the idea of being able to walk to the post office, the Coop, the bank, yoga class (that I swear I’ll attend once we move!), restaurants, little shops and cafes. I was telling a friend about this and she said,”On a winter’s evening, to walk to your favorite restaurant in the snow….” Yes. That’s it!

Several of our friends are either moving, or hoping to move too. We all have quite different wants: We want to live in town with neighbors and a variety of good restaurants, another couple wants to be in the country with privacy, but what we are all trying to do is to follow our own hearts, and not compromise on the qualities that are important to us.

The times in my life when I compromised, either because I feared that what I wanted was impossible (so I gave up on it), or because I didn’t listen to my own voice of intuition, and believed that others knew more about my heart’s desire than I did, were not much fun, and I have to say that I am really ready to have some fun with life.

Our perfect home is somewhere right now. Maybe it’s for sale, maybe it isn’t yet. I can feel it even though I haven’t quite seen it, but I know when I do that my reaction will be, “Yes. This is it”. We all have those things that are calling to us. Whether it’s meeting a soul-mate, finding meaningful work, or going on a big adventure to a country that you’ve always wanted to visit….there is a call going out from your “heart”, and it’s also coming from the heart of the “other”.

It’s the call to Life and we can trust it. It sounds like “Yes”.

“Everything that you want, also wants you.” Jack Canfield

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sinking into the YES of life

New couch with Eleanor sleeping on it

I started to write a post today about saying no. About how sometimes we must stay focused and true to our visions, which can mean saying no to other things, but as I wrote I felt deflated. I didn’t feel good writing about that today. When I sat here at my desk and said, “Yes”, I could feel myself coming back to center.

Walking past one of our local thrift stores yesterday, I spotted a big pink velvet couch on their porch. I’ve wanted a velvet couch for a long time, (the cats don’t seem to scratch velvet which is a huge plus for us) and I love the feel of it. I walked onto the porch and sat down into a big pink cloud…oh how heavenly! and big (over 7 feet long) …Our home is small; a little over 800 square feet and we already have a couch.

I went inside and asked the price. $30. I said yes. Then I thought, “Where are we going to put it?” and I knew that Jack would ask the same thing. We moved a small table out and it fits pretty well in our T.V/living room. I love big, soft, vintage furniture. I wouldn’t care if I ever again sat at a dining room table. I like sinking in, putting my feet up, eating with my plate on my lap. It is a part of my adventure here in this lifetime, ….it is a “Yes” for me.

“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure“. Joseph Campbell

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Ask and ….get ready to say Yes to life!

Sister Madonna (right) and me at the 2007 Runner's World Heroes Banquet

Five years ago, I was feeling uninspired. It seemed as though my life, while good, was stagnant. I was driving to visit some friends and prayed a very simple prayer: “I need to be inspired.” That was it. That was enough. (Every time I have put this simple request out to Spirit, BIG opportunities show up).

I walked into my friend’s  home and saw a newspaper clipping with the headline, Second to Nun, 75 year old Catholic Nun, Sister Madonna Buder earns world record in Ironman 75+. I was stunned. The Ironman?! That is a 2.4 mile swim (in the ocean), 112 mile bike race, and a marathon (26.2 mile run)! One after the other.

Visions of my life, 25 years earlier came back. I was living in Concord, NH raising a small child, and training for my first marathon. I had increased my mileage to 40 miles a week and just couldn’t continue. I felt I was not a fast enough runner and I could not imagine how embarrassed I would be if I finished in over 3 1/2 hours. So I quit training and was never going to run a marathon….until that day 25 years later. If a 75 year old woman could finish the Ironman, I could run a marathon…couldn’t I?

Training was brutal. I had been a runner for all of those years but had not raced or timed myself in years, and my daily runs had gone from 6 to 4 to about 2 miles a day. I  still figured I was running about 9 minute miles. I timed myself and was sure  that either my car’s odometer was off or my clock was broken. I could not be running 14 minute miles..that was walking …not running. But I just knew I was going to do it. If a woman in her late 70s could do the Ironman, I could run a marathon.

I registered for the Toronto marathon which was 6 months away, in September (it would be a few days before my 51st birthday) and started building up the miles. After a month, I found Sister Madonna’s address and sent her a letter and a small check…thanking her for the inspiration. I never expected to hear from her. She wrote and thanked me! She said that she received many letters asking for help but few sending her money. This was the beginning of our friendship.

My life has been so expanded by this little prayer on a winter’s morning. Sister Madonna continues to inspire me (she turned 80 last summer and is going to run the Boston Marathon in April)…I will be with her, not running but just being a support…I run too slow for her. I’ll keep you posted by this blog. In 2007 Runner’s World named her one of 13 Heroes of the Year, and she was allowed to bring one guest (an expense paid trip to NY)…she asked me. How is that even possible? What an amazing thing this life is when we ask for more of it!

p.s. I finished my marathon in 5 hrs and 45 minutes…tired, sore as anything and filled with a great sense of accomplishment and a new and beautiful friendship which was the real gift. We just never know what great things await us when we ask.

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