I walked out of our new research center this morning and was starting the walk back to my student office when I noticed a lady walking in the opposite direction from me, across the street.  She had on a fabric bucket hat and a pashmina dramatically wrapped around her.  Her pants were khaki and her purse was clear with splashes of colour sprinkled all over it.  Her outfit was a mish-mash of happy colors that screamed fabulously eccentric gypsy. Her energy drew me like a magnet so I changed the direction that I was headed and crossed the street. I hopped up onto the sidewalk and walked up beside her. I introduced myself and told her that I loved her style – that she looked like a fabulously classy gypsy. She laughed and said that she’s never gotten that before. She said that she’s from Maui and she hates getting dressed so if she has to, she may as well look happy.

“I’m an American-Canadian now though, you know. But I moved to Maui and never came back. Now I come here in the summers. I travelled all over, been to Africa, and when I got to Maui I called my mother and asked her why she’d never told me about it. She said she didn’t tell me because she knew that if I ever went to Maui, I’d never come back. She was right. I had four children there. People said I couldn’t do it, but I did. I got my own property there and raised four children.” Cool.

We talked about the energy community in Maui and then she turned the conversation spotlight onto me.

“So, what do you do? They just let you wander the hospital, stopping strangers to talk to them?” Hmmmm… is the truth even weirder than that?!?

“No, I’m a doctoral student here, but I do talk to strangers when their energy calls mine… and I told you, I saw you and I loved your outfit and the energy you project so I wanted to talk to you.”

“You know what people’s problem is? They all walk around unhappy but no one tells them that there’s an alternative. It’s so much easier to choose misery. We’re all put here for a purpose. Find your purpose, what makes you happy and follow it and you will be happy.”

“I know right?!?” *pause* “So I can be a naturalist… right??!? I know it sounds silly, but I believe it.  I believe that the birds and the trees… they can help people see. Reconnect and slow down and take a step back from the hustle and bustle of our life and thoughts. I believe that they’re a key to a path of happiness and peace. There is an alternative. I want to help people see…”

“Listen, my eldest son is a rockstar. Ridiculous right?!? Probably the most ridiculous thing you can be, but it makes him happy. So it makes me happy. And now he’s on the radio and he’s an actual rockstar. Just follow your Higher Self. Look inside and be true to that. Follow the path of your Higher Self and you will be happy and have all you want. But you need to look inside. That’s where you’ll find all you need.”

“Yes. I know that. All the answers are always within. It’s just… hard… it’s scary.”

Then our paths diverged. She was going up the elevator, I was going straight. 

“Thanks so much for the talk. Good luck!” “Bye!”

And so it went.

All the answers are always within us. Sometimes we just need others to help remind us that it’s all going to be ok. Everything is ok. Stop. Reflect. Turn the spotlight inwards and listen to your Higher Self. There will be trials and tribulations but those are put there to test us. We can have whatever we want as long as we set our intention and then put our minds, bodies, hearts, and souls into it. Easier said than done, I know. I’m currently working on trusting myself (and intuition).