When the Universe Comes Knockin'

Until I found myself in a puddle on the stairway this afternoon, I had a completely different blogpost planned. That was before I had darted up the stairs in typical fashion – which means sometimes taking them 2 steps at a time - and tripped. There was nothing obstructing my path, no rugs or clutter in the way. There was nothing to blame it on, aside from perhaps having my head in the clouds and moving around too fast. Ouch, I mumbled (or rather, said in a few other choice words) as I got up. It never dawned on me that maybe I really hurt myself this time.Within seconds my big toe started to tighten and swell and become increasingly colorful…really?! I don’t have time for this, as I mentally rattled off all that I needed to do the rest of the afternoon: deadlines, pick up teenager, doctor appointment, shop for dinner, walk dog, write blog, office work, etc. Glancing down at the toe I could no longer stand upon, I started to pay closer attention and get nervous. Nervousness soon turned to upset and vulnerability, a maelstrom of emotions ensued. I was home alone and had no choice but to clear the decks – alas the above to-do list would just have to take a back seat. At this point, the new priority was to simply hobble to the freezer for some ice and head out to the cozy chair on the back porch. Surrender.We have a seasonal back porch with a bunch of beautiful old windows that crank open and overlook a lush backyard with a view of the mountains, lined by trees and is regularly abuzz with a symphony of birdlife chatter. It is a little of slice of heaven that breaths new life into the house each spring. Quirky and imperfect, it remains one of my favorite spots. While we regularly have dinner out there, I spend the majority of my day glued to a computer screen upstairs in my office. Today, I decided – I was going to work from the back porch surrounded by nature. I know it sounds like such a minor shift, but sometimes that is all it takes. It was one small victory in the self-care department, until I went barreling up the stairs to attend to something else.So back to the swollen toe – suddenly I was alarmed and not quite sure what to do – ice it, x-ray it, elevate it, take some Advil… The spiritual connections are never lost on me. So when my friend Joy called and asked me, “what were you thinking about when you were running up the stairs?” I honestly couldn’t remember and think it was more likely that it wasn’t much of anything – or more likely a bunch of nothings, mentally checking things off the task list. Perhaps that was the problem. The spiritual connections are never lost on me. Louise Hay notes in her book, You Can Heal Your Life, that the probable cause of issues that manifest in the toes is linked to a focus on minor details of the future. When we are running around trying to do a million things at once we lose connection to the present moment – what we are feeling or needing in that very instance.Instead of freaking out – I thought curiously to myself – ok, what is the Universe trying to tell me. Slow down may be one message. And as Joy also remarked – the big toe represents balance in life. Where was I off of balance? Better yet – where could I create some more of it? Admittedly I’m a detail junkie. I like order and I actually resonate with to-do lists, but in that instance when I had to surrender to the comfy chair of my back porch and bathe in the nature around me – the world didn’t stop turning. Some appointments got rescheduled, plans derailed – but I took heed and stopped. If we don’t pay attention to the rhythm of our bodies in nature, the Universe will come knocking. At a point when I was getting emotional, I felt rather silly crying about a toe and then was reminded that it represents so much more. I don’t take my health for granted, but being unable to walk reminded me how quickly things can shift if we don’t pay attention.In what area of your life can you make one small shift of perception to create self-care, self-love and implement a little more balance? You see the beautiful thing is that time doesn’t stop. We run around with this mentality that there isn’t enough of it and yet, even when you are knocked on your ass with an ice bag on your toe, unable to walk – all is well. Do you want to learn from knee scrapes or by following your intuition? Initiate one step in the direction of YOU today - even if it is simply to pick up and take your work outside into nature. No excuses.Oh, and remember to give thanks for your body, your health and your ability to heal. Your body is a miraculous container that you reside within and if you listen, you will hear it talking to you (and I prefer talking instead of yelling!)