The Universe Shows Off

Sometimes the Universe (aka God) is a gigantic flashy show-off pulling tricks out of her hat like a magician with fluffy bunnies. If I began to try and articulate all of the brilliance that’s shown up in my recent days (alongside some downright phantasmagorical stuff), it might read more like fiction than fact... but then again the grit of life is often stranger than make believe, you know? To give you a miniature peek, let me just say that the “showing off” began on Saturday while pondering the tug, the lump, and receiving permission to simply Be.

The fanfare continued with the release of a 2nd blog post on being TAO (Transparent, Authentic, Open) which was terrifying, exhilarating, and essential! The evening after I wrote about wrestling with the lump, my husband and I were invited on an impromptu picnic at Sunset Hill (the very same overlook where I had only hours before watched the tugboat pulling its heavy load). Random occurrence or the Universe being sassy? Methinks it is the latter. By early evening, the commercial boats had drifted on by and the soaring sailboats had retired to port. In the light of the glistening sunset, the view was painted with smooth water, calm winds, and intricately layered mountain peaks. Like I said, the Universe is a big old brilliant show-off!

© sunset hill by h3images.com

This week I’ve done my best to “honor the lump” and life has rocked (and soared) along shifting through rhythms of high and low. Whenever, I try to make something happen or have expectations about how things 'should' go, I get a swift reminder (my iPad locks up, something breaks, a pit forms in my belly) to pull back, slow down, and simply Be. On the flipside when I honor the lump-like pace, the coolest things keep showing up (clients that brighten my day, wild new opportunities, class enrollments, random teachers). It’s like the Universe is saying, “Sit back, my dear, and let me just show you what I have to offer.”

Today’s grand exhibition came during my languid afternoon pre-siesta as I read a passage from Tim Pieraccini’s book, YES... (downloaded yesterday per a friend’s 'random' suggestion):

“Consider a stone. Scientists assure us that on the atomic level there is furious activity: energy being exchanged, electrons whirling, and so on. Millions, even billions, of separate entities living their ‘lives.’ An entire universe, in fact.

To us it looks inert, a single LUMP. Things may be rushing about inside, being born and dying, but from our perspective nothing changes.”

I about rolled off my daybed when I read those words! The image of the lump is alive and well and Madame Universe is speaking loud and clear... Further exploration led me to discover that a lump is defined as “a compact mass of substance.” C’est moi. Je suis la bosse*.... a compact mass of substance with furious activity happening within and without... electrons whirling even when I look inert... an entire universe swirling around dying and being born!

So... Where (and how) is the Universe showing off for you? Are you willing to be inert... to pause, look, and listen? I can assure you it’s harder than it sounds... slowing down, sitting back, letting go... but, oh my, if you can pull it off... who knows what might pop out of that magic hat?!?!?

*translation: “It’s me. I am the lump.”