Showing up

“Amazing things can happen if you just show up.”

This was my mantra around 2011 or ’12. ..I was going through some kind of existential crisis and was having trouble staying motivated to participate in life- or just to be social.

I remember I decided to try a new church after losing the other one to a breakup (this was in the court papers lol jk 🙃) and as soon as I walked in I saw my favorite family from the previous church!

It was a sign that I was on the right path and that it was safe to follow my intuition…in retrospect that time period was transformative in that it was a departure from several things that were no longer a good fit: a relationship, organized religion as I knew it, and some friendships I’d outgrown.

Fast forward to now, and I would be lying if I said it isn’t still a struggle to be social at times. I’ve learned that I usually have fun once I get there, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t at least 20 min prior to the event that I considered canceling.

Since coming to Austin, I’ve probably pushed the limits on  trying new places, meeting new people, etc. ..especially because I did a deep dive into some self-exploration around the Autism spectrum (after scoring high on the screenings) less than two months ago, and found that i can absolutely present in that way when several factors are present 

That being said, I wouldn’t trade a minute of this trip, and am fascinated by the idea that one event, conversation, or social media post can alter the trajectory of our whole life.

Since being here, I’ve gotten invited into opportunities that I may never have even thought of on my own, which just goes to show the power of community and being seen.

The ideas presented are as follows: provide mental health support at an upcoming festival, connect with an organization that facilitates psychedelic experiences for military and law enforcement, and visit with a local woman in her home for tea, discussion on gridwork (ley lines, etc) and to see her crystal collection 🥰