Hello Evolutionistas!

Elissa here ... Last night, Gretchen and I had a great meeting with a fun, new friend named Dana. (keep an eye out for her on this site ... you'll definitely be seeing more of her!)

Over our respective cocktails and gorgonzola/pear pizzas, we shared tales of travel, thoughts on the self and our respective opinions on the idea of Aliveness. And for me, I shared how, lately, this feeling of Aliveness has been seriously escaping me as I've traveled through my everyday life.

I shared how I've been feeling -- even in the midst of a brand new year and new intentions -- in a big, deep, frustrated-at-the-world rut. How I have recently gotten so into the grind and focused on the weeds and addicted to "working hard" that even I have seemed to miss out on the bigger picture, the e>vness of life, the essence of ALIVENESS.

And I was reminded again of how this ... all of life ... is a journey that ebbs and flows, starts and stops. And I was reminded again that the entire world is a projection of myself. And, I was reminded of how feeling alive -- when you're out of practice -- doesn't just come 'naturally' all the time. And I was reminded that I might actually need to REMEMBER to stay connected to my Aliveness...

And so, to you, to the world, to the universe, I make a declaration ... a New Year's Reclamation (as Gretchen calls it) to re-own my freedom, to reclaim my possibilities, to remember my purpose. So:

Today, I choose Aliveness. Today, I choose to feel good. Today, I choose to be brave. Today, I choose to let go. Today, I choose to be free. Like a parachute cord, Aliveness is always there, just waiting for me to grab it and pull. A reliable, never-lets-you-down, old friend...Aliveness is just waiting for me to grab its hand and fly through life, leaving my stories and excuses behind, trusting that I'm going to land in the right place, more exhilarated and empowered than ever. No matter where I am today, no matter what comes my way, I choose ALIVENESS.

(and how have you been feeling lately?)

"(Your life) is about realization, not about changing anything. The world is as you perceive it to be. For me, clarity is a word for beauty. It's what I am. And when I'm clear, I see only beauty. Nothing else is possible. I am mind perceiving my thoughts, and everything unfolds from that, as if it were a new solar system pouring itself out in its delight. If I'm not clear, then I'm going to project all my craziness out onto the world, as the world, and I'll perceive a crazy world and think that it is the problem. We've been working on the projected image for thousands of years and not on the projector. That's why life seems to be chaotic ... But when you meet your thoughts with understanding, the world changes. It has to change, because the projector of the entire world is you. You're it!" -Byron Katie, Loving What Is

"Take the time to line up the Energy first, and action becomes inconsequential. If you don't take the time to line up the Energy, if you don't find the feeling place of what you're looking for, not enough action in the world will make any difference." -Abraham

Elissa here. Going to meditate on this quote all day in light of new intentions for this new year ... Just like we say at e>v: "Be" first, then "Do" ... What a wonderful reminder.

Trip out west, part II:

So, the plan was for Jan to pick me up in Spokane where we'd attend a show with her 8-year-old son, Gabe, and then swing back to her home in Montana to regroup before heading out on the road. The show was great, to be sure, and was especially fun to see through the eyes of a little boy--awe-struck and out-of-his gourd excited.

Back at Jan's place in the Mission Mountains, we were out on her deck late in the evening taking in the clear Montana sky and wading through where we'd been over the past few months on our respective journeys. Lots of to dos. Lots of head down, get-'er-done energy. Lots of challenge. Lots of raw, emotional stuff.

I mentioned to my friend that what I really wanted to return to is the sense that there is so much more out there than have-tos and obligations.  Somewhere along the way that had been overshadowed.  I threw my head back, spread my arms wide and declared, "The world is full of POSSIBILITIES!" At that moment, a shooting star blazed through the sky right over our heads. No. Lie. Jan and I stared at one another with ever widening grins creeping across our faces. Not sure we could have asked for a more potent signal from the universe.

The beautiful thing: that star caused both of us to shift; it changed our focus. Light and buoyant, open to possibility, we were ready to hit the road.