I have discovered that my greatest teacher is life itself. In other words, life (events, people situations) ALWAYS supports my healing, growth and evolution. I realize this is a bold statement, but one that has been true for me.
Does this mean that only good things show up in my life? Absolutely not! In fact, it means that often what shows up is difficult and not what I would choose. However, when I take the position that what is showing up is FOR me, not against me, then the opportunity for learning and growth presents itself!
Let me share an example from last summer. It’s a bit extreme, but illustrates my point beautifully. I was helping my brother pick-up his new camper in Nelson and asked my friend Brooke to accompany me. She investigated a few activities that we could do while there and suggested exploring a cave.
I instantly said ‘yes’, as I thought about the spectacular cave paintings Rob and I saw in Spain a couple of years ago. That cave had a dimly lit path and handrails for the uneven ground.
When we arrived for our Nelson cave experience, we were given dusty suits and helmets to wear, which I thought was a bit excessive, but whatever. I hadn’t yet clued into the fact that my cave experience was about to be vastly different from the one I had in Spain. Instead of a lighted path and handrails, our adventure began by climbing up a waterfall and squeezing through ridiculously small spaces between the rock faces.
In fact, every time I was sure we had gone as far as possible because I couldn’t see any way out besides backtracking, our guide showed us an impossibly small space or new way to move between the boulders or walls of the cave. It was at one of these points, at probably the deepest point within the cave, that I had a recurring vision arise.
I will pause my story to give you a little background to understand what happened next. I knew I had a bit of claustrophobia, but over the previous 5 years I had a recurring vision that would periodically show up in my waking life. It seemed random and I couldn’t really figure out why it would arise, but when it did, it chilled me to the bone and I would feel my heart race and my breathing stop momentarily.
The vision was me being entombed in a stone coffin, alive. I know, pretty creepy right? When this happened, I would take a deep breath and reassure myself that I was ok by looking around and anchoring myself in the present moment surroundings. Within a few seconds, and no stone coffin in sight, the vision would recede and I would continue on with my day.
OK, with that knowledge, back to my story. Yup! I found myself deep inside the cave, sandwiched between two stone walls when the vision recurred once again and I realized I was actually living it. Anchoring to my surroundings was not going to help. I had a choice: panic and fall apart or face my fear and release it.
Believing that life brings me experiences that offer the opportunity for learning and growth, I took a deep breath and connected to my inner strength to calm myself. I allowed myself to fully feel the fear; to let it run through my body so that it could be released. I listened to the part of myself that was terrified, and I held her and comforted her. I connected to the love within and found the strength to keep going. I was not going to be buried alive in a rock tomb.
Logically, I am quite certain that neither Brooke or the guide would have just left me there, but logic has no sway during an intensely fearful experience. At that critical moment, there was only me and the cave; the presence of Brooke and the guide was inconsequential. It was all within me.
Needless to say, I survived to tell the tale and left that terrifying vision in the cave, never to experience it again. I don’t know if it was a past life memory or something else. The point is, going through challenging experiences is how we grow and evolve and it’s the only way we discover our inner strength. It’s just the way it works.
From the experience, I learned:
I can manage my inner world and not crumble in the face of extreme fear;
to trust myself and have confidence in my body; and
to read the fine print and be sure I know what I am getting myself into!
My cave experience illustrates how my deep belief and faith that ‘Life supports me’ makes all the difference when I encounter challenges along life’s path. It’s what allows me to see possibilities and gives me the courage to find solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems.
And, here’s what else I know to be true: if you find yourself in a situation, then you’re ready for the challenge. I believe that life is exquisitely skilled at bringing us exactly what we need to grow and evolve into the next version of ourselves, and that it happens when we’re ready for it.
A big thank you to Brooke for her love and encouragement through the entire experience, even through my meltdown.
