I’ve been preparing to leave Vancouver for a journey to remember…

 

My memory isn’t terrible but somehow layers of sludge have built up to cloud a deeper knowing that used to be so instinctual. I only know this looking back and remembering that I have forgotten.

 

The first time I went to Australia was 18 years ago, nearly half of my life ago.

 

I was bold, courageous, naive, street smart, open, trusting and believed in magic (without even knowing it).

 

Since that time I have weathered some rough storms and persevered despite illness, death, divorce and complete devastation. Lately I’ve been more interested in looking for what’s magical and beautiful instead of focusing on the past (‘cause what you focus on expands, don’t ya know?).

 

The idea of a 24 hour journey from Vancouver to Melbourne didn’t thrill me, in fact I was bracing myself for it. I had packed my eye cover, lavender essential oil, rose water spray, and nasya oil to make the journey as easy as possible.

 

With a slight shift in perspective and attitude, here’s what I found…life lessons every step of the way.

 

1) Stop resisting.
I could have resisted 24 hours on flights with an awful track record of an inability to sleep on planes, being sat in the middle between two strangers without our TV screens working and eating what is being passed off as “food” on the flight. Instead I chose to see it all as an adventure and deal with things as they came. I was pleasantly surprised how fast the flights seemed to go and how easy things felt when I stopped resisting what was.

 
When we stop resisting what IS, we allow flow to happen (and we want flow to happen).

 

2) Magic happens. Expect it.

Close to midnight, I board the plane in Vancouver and shuffle down the isle looking for 21B when I hear, “Madhuri?” There was a colleague of mine who I adore and think the world of…sitting in the row in front of me! Coinsidance? Magic.

 

Change your idea of what you think magic is. Acknowledge the subtle magic that is sewn throughout your day in beautiful encounters, a smile, unexpected happenings.

 

3) You are always taken care of.
It was near the end of the flight from Vancouver to Sydney that the man beside me and I started chatting. Small chat. I was cracking jokes and he was laughing. It was easy and fun. When we disembarked, emerging from a hazy stupor often felt when you try to sleep sitting up, he asked if I wanted to go to the domestic terminal together as he knew it well. “Sure.” I literally followed him through the maze of the airport, effortlessly. I got to the next check in counter as was asked if I would like an earlier connecting flight. “Yep!” At the end of my next flight I found my way to the front seat at the top of the double decker shuttle bus, onto a tram and assisted by friendly people to find my stop and the café I was heading to, to meet my friend.

 

I didn’t try too hard. I didn’t contract and get scared or worried how I was going to get where I was trying to go. I stayed present and open and I felt taken care of every step of the way. Grace.