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Flying home from Sedona last week, I had a beautiful conversation about life and purpose with a women sitting next to me. Usually, I use flight time to read, journal, or sleep. But I was feeling completely present and inspired after spending four magical days in the red rocks with fellow Warrior Goddess women. Before I could think twice, I looked to the woman on my left and marveled aloud at the meticulous knitting project in her lap. A simple statement of appreciation led us into deeper thoughts about raising boys versus girls, the roles we play, societal expectations, and, eventually (after three hours), we even talked about our own life's desire/purpose.
Throughout our conversation, I had glimpses of looking directly at my mirrored reflection in this person. Three of our children are the same age; we chose to stay home to raise them; we both have autoimmune challenges; we see the future as exciting and full of potential, and we believe our children's generation will quickly change the out-dated structures we cling to today.
As we continued sharing, something else became very apparent. Whenever I'd invite her to share her personal likes/dislikes, wants/wishes about a certain topic, she'd revert back to what was best for the family. Each time she'd redirect, I felt a resonating feeling. I spent much of my life doing the same thing. The needs of my family were easier to attend to versus diving deep to find what needs I had.
Why is it so easy for us to expound on the dreams, wishes, and wants of our immediate family members but we don't even know where to start when it comes to our own?
At this point in our conversation, I took a risk and simply asked, "If you lived it all again up to this point, would you change anything?" She nodded like she had the text-book answer and said, "Oh, yes. I'd probably find work with my college degree so I could contribute monetarily to the family."
Hmmm...not quite the passionate response I imagined. So I tried a different question, "Do you still like what you studied in college?"
"No, not really."
"Then, what would you really like to explore next?"
There was a long silence. I thought maybe I crossed the line with my intrigue. Finally, she put down her knitting, looked directly at me and said, "No one has ever asked me that before. I don't know what I'm even capable of doing except raising children. Isn't that odd?"
I assured her it wasn't odd. In fact, it's pretty standard for women as well as men. We perform certain roles for so long that we forget how to simply play, dream, and explore all the different ways our souls sing. Every time we venture into the unknown, ask questions without demanding answers, and stretch ourselves outside the normal routine, we tickle our soul's belly and our innate joy comes forth. It's this same joy that clears the lens for us to see and appreciate further areas of exploration, and so the cycle continues to build momentum. This same momentum helps us loosen the grip to the standard way of operating in our lives and shows us the myriad of possibilities awaiting to be experienced.
What new things do you want to try this month? What deep passions have been neglected or pushed aside in order to do the normal routine? What do you want to explore this month?
Friday, September 30th marked the New Moon, and with it came the invitation to set a clear intention for the 30 days of this moon cycle. However, if you're finding it difficult to define your intention, I encourage you to use these next 7 days to play, ask yourself questions, journal, or add some new activities into the week. Intentional living takes practice. It's why every new moon I remind you to try again; every full moon, I ask you to check in and observe; and the week before the next new moon, I ask you to reflect on what transpired.
Moon cycle after moon cycle we engage in this process and cultivate a deeper connection to our authentic self. It doesn't mean we perfect ourselves. It means we live with awareness and become intentional with our thoughts, actions, words, and being. Every month is a recommitment to expressing our fullest self - not just our familiar roles. Throughout this month, I'll offer more tools, inspiration, blogs, and webinars to help you along. If you're already registered to my mailing list, you'll get these goodies straight to your inbox. Registration is located on my site at www.sandydixon.net
So what do you want to explore this month? I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send me a message. Together, we encourage each other to live fully and intentionally. I'm excited to hear what's next for you!