Climb Every Mountain?

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Climb Every Mountain?

"When a door opens, walk through it. Trust that the door has opened for a reason and you have been guided to it....Every time we walk through an open door, we create a sense memory that encourages us to move into the new fearlessly. When we enter the new space, we almost always feel a thrill and a new feeling of confidence, in ourselves and in the universe."

From Friday's Daily Om

I'm not so sure about this one. I made a vow years ago to refrain from taking dares; they tend to lead me in the wrong direction.

On the other hand, when a door opens and I feel I might not go through it because of fear, then I force myself. I had some hesitation about taking on co-authorship of The Healing Power of Doing Good. A buddy of mine said to me as we stood in the line at the K&W Cafeteria: "Don't weird out on this." I'm glad I didn't.

What do you think about this walk-through-every-door idea? Am I just taking this too literally? If I pay attention, I can see that doors are opening every day and it's impossible to go through all of them.

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...: I am with you on this one Peggy. Walking through every door can be dangerous. Sometimes my fears shut doors for good reason, based on past history. If I can rid myself of chatter, and hear my gut instinct, usually the door opens.; 9:54 PM
Peggy Payne said...: The question that comes to my mind after I've picked the wrong door is often: What was I thinking?

There's probably a useful way to turn that into an advance warning.; 1:51 PM
Debra said...: I will have to think about this one a bit more, but my gut tells me to step back and take a few breaths before just entering a newly opened door. I think an important aspect of this would be "instinct" for me. I have found that whenever I truly follow my gut instinct, I am never wrong. The object here is really listening to that instinct on a very basic level. Like Anon, ridding myself of the chatter is a very important aspect of opening the right door at the right time.; 8:54 PM
Anonymous said...: One of my challenges as I age is creature of habit thinking with any new possibilities. It is much easier to ignore the gut when new doors open and eliminate possibilities, especially with people. It can be as simple as smiling at the 7/11 clerk when I feel grumpy or welcoming a new person at the gym. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone to be kind is a good thing.; 8:23 AM
Peggy Payne said...: Sounds as if your gut is serving you well, Debbie.

I like the idea of being kind as a door, Anon. I doubt if it has often been viewed that way.; 5:26 PM

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Writing Books, Seeking God, Teaching Writing, and Coping with OCD

I’m a writer who dodged being a minister; I saw that my dharma, my calling, was instead to write about body and spirit, to explore in fiction my metaphysical questions. I’ve spent the past 35+ years as a freelancer, with 2 novels, 2 nonfiction books, magazine and newspaper articles from 25+ countries, a few seasons as a TV reporter, copy for ad agencies, a winter in India, and my manuscript and career consulting services for writers.

It’s not because I’m naturally lion-hearted that I’ve chosen the topic of bold living and bold writing. It’s because I aspire to living and writing with courage. I wrestle with these matters; I even have a touch of an anxiety disorder, specifically obsessive-compulsive disorder. You probably know the saying: we teach what we need to learn.

I post here about daily fears and triumphs, about writing and, if I ever get my courage up, about mysticism, the ultimate brazen act: direct experience of God. I hope you’ll leap into the wide-ranging conversation here and come back often. I hope you’ll find the talk here encouraging for your own adventures.

Sunday, July 12, 2009