The mind loves having everything planned and organized. It sees it as a way of trying to stay safe. It generally says no to anything that appears to be ‘unsafe’. We’ve found that living from the heart requires a lot of letting go at the emotional level: letting go of how we think things ‘should’ be, letting go of trying to stay safe, and letting go of the desire for a specific outcome.
We had been practicing living from the heart, from Spirit, from inspiration, for much of our adult lives with greater or lesser success. Worries and fear would keep us limited and sometimes lead us in the wrong direction (like making that unwise investment many years ago). There has been a gradual, but exponential increase in our ability and willingness to live from the heart and inspiration since we became nomadic. Living from the heart has become simple. We listen carefully to our feelings and intuition. If it feels right we say yes, if not we look for another direction. Sometimes the direction makes no sense in the ‘logical’ world but we know it’s the right thing for us to be doing, and so we trust the movement. This includes choosing expensive tours that in the past we would have eschewed because of the price. We find what we want, and know we’re going to do it anyway, whatever the cost. Within reason of course. We don’t cough up for first class air travel even though we’d love to. That just seems a foolish way to spend our money. On the other hand we did pay for a very expensive three-day private overland tour across the High Desert of Bolivia because we wanted to be comfortable and safe. And for an eight-day Galapagos cruise that in the past we would have declared far too expensive.
Taking this huge leap of faith was the best thing we have ever done, and in the end the only thing we could have done. Life posed a question to us – do you want a home or do you want a life? We chose Life. Has it been scary? It actually wasn’t initially. During the four months from when we made the decision to sell everything, and up until we began our nomadic life when we left Canada for Italy, there was no second-guessing and no fear about our decision. We both knew it was exactly the right thing for us to be doing. And as things unfolded over and over in our favour any doubts that would arise melted away before they could take hold. We have had scary moments from time to time, but over the years, as we have become more and more used to the nomadic life, and have learned how to be homeless, and how to travel in a way that suits us, our fears diminish more and more. At this stage we can’t imagine living any other way. At the same time we’re open to change and to moving in whatever direction feels right. We feel inspired. We feel supported. And we feel blessed beyond measure.
August 4, 2014 at 5:04 pm
Lovely piece, Alison. I am planning to change flats,in the near future and already afraid of the effort entailed in sorting and getting rid of some of my accumulated stuff, so I envy you both your certainty that you are doing the right thing in letting go. You have a great partnership.
August 4, 2014 at 5:55 pm
Thanks Liz. You’re moving?! I can totally relate to the trepidation that arises at the thought of having to deal with the huge piles of ‘stuff’. It’s amazing how much we accumulate. I think our piles of stuff expand according to how much space we have – more space, fill it with more stuff.
I think we are very lucky to have the partnership we have. And the trust. If you’d suggested this level of trust even 5 years ago we might have laughed, and said “I wish”!
I remember when we faced emptying the apartment I felt overwhelmed for weeks, and Don felt overwhelmed with the process of closing his business. Then eventually it was all done and there was clear space in front of us. One foot in front of the other.
Alison
xox
August 4, 2014 at 10:44 pm
Thoroughly enjoyed this piece; it’s real, it’s authentic, it’s YOU! And it’s hugely inspiring! We’re all on journeys of one sort or another! Both of you felt called, beckoned to take a deeper plunge, and as you came to terms with what this actually meant, you became more comfortable or confident! The Universe has a lovely way of working through us or in us if we simply surrender, trust and allow. I commend you for being in sync with all that is.
August 5, 2014 at 12:50 am
Thank you so much Anne. You’re right, as we came to terms with the big jump, and our new life, we have become both more comfortable and more confident. I’m continually amazed by the way the Universe moves through us all, even when we don’t feel it, or think of it in that way.
Alison
August 11, 2014 at 1:43 pm
Great article. Great couple. Great photo. Really inspires me to want to let guidance find me and take more chances at branching out.
August 11, 2014 at 2:26 pm
Thanks so much Paulette for your lovely compliments. Yes! Follow your inner guidance/intuition and take more chances! 🙂 <3
Alison