This is the first of what I hope to become a long line of essays you will be able to read on this website. They will vary in style and topic: some will reflect my love for and respect of nature in all her incarnations; others will be inspired by conversations, observations, current events, books, or movies; and yet others will deal with the cycles of the year, of life and of the celebrations that honour them. But I hope to be able to make all of them engaging and relevant for your everyday life. For I believe that nothing is really done as well as it can be if it doesn’t touch a life in some way, may it be ever so gently. Most of us have experienced a life-changing situation at some point in our lives: an illness or death; a separation or divorce; a birth; a new relationship or marriage; a new job or a start into an entirely different career. At those crossroads of life we are presented with a choice: the choice to simply accept and go along, or to embrace and grow. Or, as described in Neale Donald Walsch’s book Conversations with God – Book 1: “You can choose to be a person who has resulted simply from what has happened, or from what you chose to be and do about what happened. It is in the latter form that creation of the Self becomes conscious. It is in the second experience that Self becomes realized.” How often do we follow along with what the universe throws at us without choosing how to respond? We let destiny direct us and just “hang on” while we are swept down the river of life mostly unconscious of our own part in life’s shaping, sometimes in the name of going-with-the-flow. But going with the flow does not mean drifting helplessly in white-water; head under and close to drowning. To truly go with the flow we must have a general idea of our strength and limitations. Only then will we be able to keep our heads above water when those rough stretches come. And only when we don’t fight against the current or get stiff with fear will we be able to float around the rocks with only a few bruises – or no injuries at all. When those all-changing events happen in our lives we can choose to stay (or become) conscious of our reactions, our deeds, and our Self. We can go into these situations knowing that they will change us. We may not know how but over time that, too, will become clearer. We can talk to friends, reach out and ask for help where necessary and appropriate. We can stay alert and make careful decisions, based on our own understanding of who we are and what we can be and do. We can take responsibility for how and who we are in this particular situation. And maybe most importantly, we can continue to make conscious choices – even if those we made before didn’t turn out quite as expected. This business of Creating Self doesn’t come with guarantees and has some detours built into it. But if we can learn to see and believe that all these detours, problems, and mistakes are in truth opportunities to fine-tune our understanding of our Self then we can continue with increased confidence in the creation of that Self. As I am writing this essay I also prepare to launch my new website and to open my career to a new dimension. I have consciously taken the plunge, being aware of the possibility for a wild whit-water ride and steep falls ahead. I have been through rough times and felt close to drowning already a couple of times before. It has made me stronger: not because I can “take more”, “fight better”, or have grown a “thicker skin”, but because I have seen and experienced myself in new ways. I have found new vulnerabilities and possibilities within me. And with this I have found another piece of this puzzle that is Me. I know that I will make mistakes. I know that at times I will doubt myself and my decisions. I will make changes that I think impossible now. And I will move ahead in areas that I don’t even know yet. And all the time I will learn, grow, create my Self and with that allow others to do the same. For, to quote Conversations With God one more time: “This is at one and the same time both the function and the purpose of relationship: to provide a field of experience within which you find yourself, define yourself, and – if you choose – constantly recreate Who You Are.” And that is true not only for me but also for those who are in relationship with me. I am looking forward to this next stretch of the journey – and I’d be honoured to have you accompany me for as far as your path is taking you. Check in again next month and discover more. Back to Archived Essays