When the Universe wants you to do something

Just say “yes” with enthusiasm!

Sometimes we use a big lens to look for fear and the small one to look for wonders.

Wouldn’t’ ya know … no sooner had I gone public about my big adventure, when fear pounded on my door and megaphoned my hubris to the neighborhood. My cozy chair cast come-hither looks and actually purred at my first thought of backing out. (I don’t even want to think about what it means to have a mind-reading chair.)

Yes, I’ve been here before and my past is littered with mangled might-have-been-bright ideas (and fortunately, a few that made it to the finish line.) It’s a foregone conclusion that I’m going to get stuck somewhere right after the fantasy of winning a gold medal has faded and the call to boot camp arrives. (I hope Nina at

Stunning Sentences

never reads this twisted mess of metaphors.)

Anyway, the smell of fear and overwhelm must have filled the air because the Universe immediately unleashed Nike’s baying hounds with blood red platitudes clenched in their teeth.

First came Substack’s

Colton Swabb

, who writes Wisdom Well and arrived with a tale of teetering trucks mired in mud, honking a raucous ditty about the fun of getting stuck. Right!

I have an advanced degree in getting stuck and lost so it’s a foregone conclusion that I will be there again … whether it’s in the streets, the bus stations or airports … or in the language … it will happen and Colton’s trying to tell me it’s fun … and then has the nerve to call the following good advice:

Don’t Avoid Getting Stuck

I thought the purpose of careful and logical planning was about NOT getting stuck. Thinking through possible obstacles, avoiding mine fields, being safe. Colton says … yes, go get stuck, but know how to get unstuck and be safe.

Later, in a comment, he did tell me if I still have one non-spinning wheel on the ground, I’m okay. Now, if I just understood what that meant in terms of my Mexico project, I might feel better. Kinda reminds me of my marriage to my first husband. He thought like that and we used to chase rabbits … on a motorcycle, through strange fields … at night. It took years for my blood pressure to level out.

Bottomline: Know how to get unstuck but don’t avoid the adventure of getting stuck.

The Universe is also showing up in places other than Substack. Apparently, it rewrote a book just for me. Somewhat like when I sat in church as a kid and the preacher spoke directly to me. Rolf Potts has an amazing daily meditation book for Vagabonders and the past three days were written specifically for me.

Click image for amazon

Don’t decide not to go

1/31 The biggest danger of travel might be deciding not to go

Not going could be a bigger risk than going. It feels like if I give up on this adventure, I’ll be giving up on my life.

2/1 The journey begins the moment you decide to do it.

So, I’m already on the journey. Schrödinger's cat is meowing. If I back out now, I would have to smother the cat.

2/2 Put your dreams into action now

The timing is never right; the conditions never perfect. I can see the time, money, and energy this adventure will cost. What I can’t see are the wonders that will happen along the way. And, they always do.

And, today, after endless arm-wrestling with possibilities, the Universe sent in the big guns. My friend Barbara, a walking spark of synchronicity and inspiration, played a huge part in the weaving together of this adventure and has a mantra I hear repeatedly. Apparently, however, it didn’t register until today.

Barbara’s 82 years have not slowed her life as a peace activist and she recently released her 123^rd Peace Podcast which I watched today. It features Ayla Volpe, who has just completed a documentary on the life of Robert E. Seymour Jr. a noted civil rights activist. A series of synchronicities introduced Ayla to the retired minister (as she became his dog walker). After learning more about him she decided there needed to be a documentary about his life … and she wanted to be the one to make it. When she finally overcame her fears and asked him if he would participate, he asked her if she really wanted to take on such a challenging project.

When Ayla related the story of how she said yes, Barbara jumped to her mantra line:

“YES! with enthusiasm. If you say yes with enthusiasm, the Universe will support you … and it will change your life.”

Ayla’s story about having the courage to go from dog walker to documentarian truly struck home. As she told about some of the wonders and miracles of the adventure of making this documentary, I felt like I was changing lens … moving from the mega lens zeroing in on possible problems and failures far off in the distance … to using the smaller lens to see clearly the range of wondrous possibilities surrounding the journey.

OK, Universe, I am saying yes with enthusiasm.

No more waffling or whining.

I would also love to hear what projects are calling you to say “Yes!” … with enthusiasm. And, how you deal with the fear that comes with jumping into a project that is slightly (or a lot) deeper than you’re used to.