CLOSE: ASPEN GROVE

“You and me, our roots and branches intertwined. We may see ourselves in everyone, and everyone in ourselves.” 
– Jillian and Jim

At the end of a journey across America, ultimately driving more than 40,000 miles over a three-year period,setting out each spring for a total of nine months of travel, I find some of that “light” I want to share with you…

I lie in the shade of an aspen grove. These hundreds of individual trees, interconnected by a shared root system, are one vast organism.  I contemplate this similar connection with all of the people and animals I have encountered in my long journey and the sharing of their life force with me. They provided the pieces so I could live a happy and meaningful life, whatever my circumstances – my real dream. I consider how I could provide the same for them, clues to their missing pieces. And when I live this way, never a day can go by when I wonder: How do I matter? How am I contributing? 

Now every encounter offers a chance: to connect more deeply with others, with ourselves, and with something even greater, that, inherently, links us all. I understand now in my core the vital message: When you connect with others, you can find yourself.

I look up at the sky and watch clouds roll by, connect, make new shapes. I think how often we do not perceive the full picture of our lives until we have collected all of the pieces. Now I see the encounters on my odyssey and how they fit together perfectly.

Some of the pieces of the puzzle:

Maybe this dream today is not the real one.

The opportunity to love is a lifeline.

We all yearn to love, to grow life.

In life, we choose: for example, faith instead of frailty.

Remember, we are our possibilities, not our circumstances.

And understand, we won’t feel fulfilled for long if we are simply happy but have not yet found enduring meaning in our lives.

People will spark us, start a ripple, if we’re open to it.

Great happiness lies in contributing to others, in the so-called quiet acts.

When we do enough quiet acts, the ripple takes shape.

And we find ourselves living our best – and helping others to live their best.

When I began this journey, I was chasing the wrong dream. I imagined selling lots of books, busting through bestseller lists, being on Oprah’s speed dial. I asked many wrong questions along the way, focused on: Will they like me? Laugh at my jokes? Buy my book? Instead of, how can I help you? Now I feel largely free of other peoples’ expectations of me, and I understand that what I do for my work is but part of my life: How I live and how I connect is what matters most.

The “me” that began this odyssey now seems like a distant cousin – recognizable, related, but barely. This road trip across America proved germinal for who I got to become.

Toward the end of my journey, after Jim had agreed to co-write this book with me, he said, “We often think we are pursuing our dreams. When we get there, we realize that where we’ve arrived did not reflect our plan but was rather where life has taken us. If we live in this way that we’ve seen, we’re more likely to find the dream that we pursued. In the end, we’re thrilled with our life because we’ve lived in-Spirit, connected.”

Since I have been living with these lessons deep inside of me, I have felt a peace and joy, love, serenity, love of life, humor, and possibility I never would have imagined. Magic now seems like my reality. It is with me, like the light, wherever I go.

Today, I walk deeper into the woods, rest my head on the forest floor, and sleep for a while. When I wake up, I see a doe and her fawn, nearby. The deer and baby stand with me, nibble on grasses. I watch, silent, at their feet.

After I emerge from the grove and start to drive home, I want to call Jim, share this with him. As I wait for his answer, I look down at the phone and remember the old technology, the word illuminating the screen: “Connecting.” And I think, Yes…

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Emmy winning-television producer, author/photographer and coach, Jillian (Robinson) Weaver loves sharing Experiences of the Heart – just for the joy of it ❤️. For short daily doses, join her at https://www.instagram.com/jillianrobinsonweaver/.