Open Your Eyes

 A memory surfaced this morning that brought the lyrics from a Moody Blues song to mind: "we decide which is right and which is an illusion..." The memory was from a time, five years ago, when my life changed dramatically and my perception of reality was never the same again. It was a single moment in time that made me look at the world differently, with new eyes; when I began to feel into myself at the core and become more authentic in my day-to-day life.

It was a late September afternoon, one of those still warm, glorious, early fall days, a little more than a month after my father had died. I had driven from my very demanding job as an HR director at a private school, picked up my husband and dropped him off at the golf club. As I was driving along a beautiful country road. my mind filled with busy thoughts, I had the strong impression that my father was sitting in the passenger seat of my car. I "heard" him say: "Patti, you're always so busy, rushing here and there...you don't even notice how beautiful everything is.  Open your eyes!"

 In that moment, I looked at the scenery around me and it was as if everything was lit up and so incredibly lovely that it brought tears to my eyes. I felt my dad's presence so strongly and it was as if he was trying to give me a final gift- a way of looking at the world with new eyes and seeing beyond the illusion of materialism to the spiritual essence of everything.

Shortly after this experience, my busy job ended. A new Head of School had come in and decided to automate HR, so I left and suddenly had time to meditate, take yoga classes and go on long hikes, all of which felt authentic to that person at my core. I also began to write this blog, a project that my daughter had encouraged me in and helped me set up the previous year, but I had been too busy to even think about.

Since that time, I've written hundreds of blogs, found a job teaching young children that feels more "me" and never lost that new "vision" that was my father's final gift to me.

I'm sharing this story today simply because it came to mind and it seemed like the right time to present itself. I hope that we can all move into our day and this new week with new eyes, bringing out what is authentic to each one of us and sharing it with the world.