Day 213: Let the Day Show You
When it was time for me to start writing this morning, no obvious topic showed up.
And I realized I was not in the present.
I was already looking further into my morning thinking about how a major, tricky repair was going to play out.
And of course, hoping that the worker shows up at 8:00 as promised. And instead of turning that into a problem, I started thinking about how often we do this in life.
We assume that if something isn't clear right away, we're behind.
If the answer isn't obvious, we must not be listening well enough.
If the next step hasn't shown up yet, we must need to try harder, think harder, figure it out faster, or make something happen.
But what if nothing is wrong?
What if the day hasn't shown us what's coming because we really don't need to know.
Sometimes the clarity isn't late at all, it's still forming. In fact, it would be impossible for clarity to be late.
We don't have to force anything into being if it's meant for us.
Not every question needs to be answered the moment we ask it.
Quiet space is good, even necessary and not a sign that we've lost connection.
Sometimes quiet is the connection.
Yesterday we talked about the difference between the mind and the soul.
The mind wants to figure things out. It has questions to be answered.
The soul knows. It has no questions. It waits patiently for you to pay attention.
My mind will gather evidence, build a case, argue both sides, ask ten new questions, and then get frustrated because the answer still doesn't feel settled.
Like this morning, my mind has been searching for answers. Looking for a way to visualize what's going to happen and how it will be resolved.
But in this case there are two problems. I don't know anything about welding or structural engineering. And I don't speak Spanish well enough to get anything but halfway decent Google translations.
Which is why it was hard to focus on allowing a topic for this morning to come through.
My mind was too busy trying to visualize something when I have no concrete information to paint that picture with.
My soul is much quieter.
It doesn't rush to fill the space or seem bothered by the fact that I don't always know what comes next.
It has a patience my mind doesn't naturally have.
Becoming more comfortable with the space between asking and knowing is required to really live a self-led life.
That space can feel awkward, and often unproductive.
It can make us wonder if we're doing something wrong.
But what if that space is part of the process?
Not knowing is a place where our inner guidance is still gathering itself.
I've noticed that when I leave a little room, life usually shows me something.
You've seen this in the things I write about.
A sentence in a book.
A conversation.
A comment from someone.
A weird little moment that catches my attention.
A feeling in my body.
Something with the dogs.
Something that happens at the motorhome.
Something that makes me laugh, or stop, or feel something I hadn't fully noticed yet.
That is usually where the writing comes from. Not from sitting here trying to sound wise.
I do my best to pay attention to what life is showing me.
What inspires my writing is also true for other areas of life.
We don't always have to chase the answer. We can live in a way that allows the answer to come to us.
That doesn't mean we don't do anything proactive.
Just stay present enough to notice what shows up.
And don't abandon the question just because the answer isn't immediate.
Be careful to not let your mind bully you into a partial answer because it doesn't have the patience to wait for the full answer.
Because the mind can be very loud when it wants certainty.
It will say, "Pick something. Decide something. Do something. You should know by now."
But the soul does not respond to pressure.
My soul responds to space, to quiet, to the willingness to stay with myself even when I don't yet know what the next clear thing is.
And that may be the whole point today.
Self-leadership is trusting the answer that comes.
But first, we trust the space before the answer comes.
The advice I will give myself for today is…
I don't have to force the day to reveal itself all at once.
I can let it unfold.
I can listen.
I can notice where the energy is flowing.
I'll watch for the small thing that feels true.
And when the answer comes, I'll know.
It doesn't arrive with the certainty of a fully mapped-out plan, 99.9% of the time.
Most of the time something in us softens and says, "There it is."
And that's enough for today, because sometimes the most self-led thing we can do is stop trying to make something happen and let the day show us what wants our attention.
Today's Gentle Practice
Think about one question you've been trying to answer too quickly.
Ask yourself:
What would happen if I gave this answer a little more room to find me?
You don't have to abandon the question.
You don't have to pretend you don't care.
Just stop pressing on it for a moment and let the day show you what wants your attention.
With you,
Lynn
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