Destiny Orientation Redux

This picture was taken over two years ago ~ and used in my blog at that time as well. Finding the image again, I chuckled. How far ~ and not ~ I've come in these past nearly two and a half years!

Running around the tech floor of a building, I spotted this sign on the wall outside a computer lab. On my first pass, the words didn't immediately register... until I swept into the office where I'd been headed. Upon leaving the office, I determined I'd get a picture of the sign.

Destiny Orientation? What in the world was that? Whenever I recall the sign, I grin and shake my head. But it makes me think as well. Do we need an orientation for our destiny? How do we know what our destiny is? Can someone else orient us? or tell us what or where or with whom we are destined to do or be? How long does the orientation last?

For the past two and a half years, my destiny has been pointing to an upcoming moment. My orientation has been a compass point ~ the 'due north' direction of retirement. However, retirement is not in itself a destination. It's a rite of passage, a gateway to the next phase of life. As with all rites of passage, we see it on the horizon long before we arrive. And we have a need to ritualize it, to make the passage a sacred one.

My entire life is focused on ~ as with most of us ~ living into my destiny. My definition of who and what I am shifts like the dunes of the Sahara. Even though my core being remains stable, I continually reorient myself to accommodate the height and movement of those subtle changes. I breathe through the disorientation of those shifts, remembering that my destiny lies not only on the path ahead of me, in the perpetual movement around me, but also within me. It will always be so.

What determines your destiny? How do the tiny or enormous shifts in the dunes of your life change that? On what do you depend for your orientation? What is your current 'due north'? How is it different from what it was two years ago? What is the 'lab' from which you draw your orientation?

Considering Blessings

John O'Donohue is one of those master teachers akin to Buddha, Confucius and Gandhi. In simple, gracious terms, he describes the day-to-day world and brings it into a new and wondrous focus. This particular quote resonates with all that I am currently sensing.

Yesterday I filled out my retirement paperwork. It's been a long time coming, yet I continued to waffle and waver almost all the way to the office.

Afterward, and all day today, I found myself bubbling over with gratitude. Recognizing the blessings of my life amidst the occasional sense of uncertainty, my heart overflowed.

The blessings showering my life in this moment are many. Here's a few that protect, heal and strengthen me as I continue into retirement:
Foremost among these blessings ~ my family and my friends. I am blessed to be included in many varied circles, populated by much love and joy. I'm blessed to be retiring from a job I loved, that kept me learning and creative; and with a pension plan that is no longer available to serve the young as it does me. My health is good and I am active and strong. While I am retiring, I am not yet eligible for social security. All these things are incredible blessings and only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the good, the wonderful, the fullness in my life. As I continue on this path toward a new beginning, many of these blessings flicker in front of me like fireflies on a dark summer night. I am grateful.

I also acknowledge that I am here to create blessings in other people's lives. That's part of the circle, the cycle of blessings ~ receive, be grateful, pass on. It makes life far more amazing and bearable. I receive as I give and gratitude is the grease that keeps the blessings in motion.

Where are you in your current life path? What are you grateful for? What blesses you? Who blesses your life? How do you express your gratitude? Whose life do you bless?

Journey Time

Having a drink with a recently retired friend, we were discussing the possibility of travel. She and her partner were invited by Uncle Joe (An alias to protect the innocent and guilty!) on a trip to Greece. Uncle Joe planned to rent a house on one of the islands and wanted his favorite niece to come along. Housing would be his treat.

As I listened to the story unfold, I thought, "Wow! What an incredible opportunity! If I were retired, I'd go in a heartbeat!" I said something like that as well.

My friend, on the other hand, was appalled at Uncle Joe's offer. Not because she didn't want to go to Greece, but because she was unclear about her personal money situation. I thought, but did not say, that this was an incredible opportunity and what the hell was she waiting for?          
 
MY reactions vs. HER reactions. At the core sat the opportunity to accept a gift or to reject it with full understanding. She wanted to travel. Her partner wanted to travel. They liked Uncle Joe and the cousins who were also going. The newness of a freed up schedule, the timing of the offer, and the fear of the expenses all play a part in the decision-making.

When we parted company, I asked her to keep me posted on the trip. She laughed. "You mean the one I'm not sure I want to take? Why?" I told her, "It's the story. I want to see where this particular ride takes you. No matter what, you're on a journey!"

How do you react to an offer of an overwhelming gift? What would you do in my friend's position? Have you ever had an opportunity to do something like this? How do you react to someone else's good fortune? What's the journey you are on right now?