So fix a cuppa' and pull up a chair....hope you enjoy the ride!
Many Blessings,
Vicky
Many have asked if there would be a blog post about my Mystical Trip to Ireland and so I have this to share with you. I must warn you, though, that this is a RIDICULOUSLY LONG post so enter at your own risk. So many magical things happened for me during that 10 day adventure that I scarcely know where to start.....
THE BACKSTORY
At 54 years old I had suddenly found myself at a "jumping point" in life. Most are familiar with reaching a "cross road", where you can choose a specific path to travel, each resulting in a unique experience for you, but a jumping point, or I guess you could also call it a "launching point" is much different. This is when all things in your past seem to align ever so perfectly to bring you to THIS specific moment where you are presented with the opportunity to simply launch into a brand new life. A life that seems to have chosen you from the beginning and has called to you all along the way and whose voice will no longer be denied. This window of opportunity came to me in the summer of 2016. I answered the call by quitting my job and taking myself on a ten-day, self-guided tour of Ireland, the beautiful Emerald Isle.
"I had been going through a period of "re-inventing" myself during the years following my husband's death, and I couldn't help but feel like this trip was to bring that process to completion in some way"
There are so many stories involving synchronicity that led me to choose Ireland in the first place that I could write another blog about that process alone, but let me just say that right from the start I recognized this trip as a true Journey of the Soul. I just knew that it would serve me in many ways. I had been going through a period of "re-inventing" myself during the years following my husband's death, and I couldn't help but feel like this trip was to bring that process to completion in some way for me. I understood, before I even got on the plane, that I would be collecting pieces of myself that I had lost or misplaced during the last 35 years of caring for others and putting their needs before my own. I instinctively knew that I would gain immense knowledge about myself and claim some, until now, "untapped power" and that I would also find out what I was made of. While most people my age were dreaming about slowing down and buying that RV or retirement home, I was feeling like I was just getting started and was on the brink of something wonderful and exciting! I was not to be disappointed.
I started planning the trip in November of 2015, at which time I was still employed full time with a dream of retiring and down-sizing in another 3 years so I could pursue my love for teaching others what I have learned along my path to date, things that seem to bring people a great deal of comfort. It would seem, that experiencing the deaths of both of my children and my husband has propelled me along a very arduous at times, path of self discovery and soul growth. I feel called to share what I've learned along the way with others who are trying to navigate lives that can be difficult at times and feel especially drawn to help people who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
Winter of 2015-2016 was a dark and difficult time for me in that I became confused and unsure of my path and what it all meant and what direction it was leading me in. I became fearful and insecure and almost depressed at times as those feelings were holding me in a place of lower vibration. Some would call this "The Dark Days of the Soul" as my very faith was being shaken and tested it seemed. Even after doing this kind of self-work and spiritual study for over 14 years now, I still have periods of time where I find myself sinking back down into the darkness of a life without drive and purpose. As you will often hear me say, it all comes down to the CHOICES we make and so I, once again, made the conscious decision to become more engaged in the process that was unfolding in my life and to create a shift that will help me move up and out of this lower vibration that I found myself in.....and that was why I decided to embark on this Irish Adventure.
YIELDING TO THE UNIVERSE
I spent all winter day dreaming about my trip and telling people about my plans. I always received two distinct reactions from the people I told. Either they were super excited for me and made comments about how inspiring it was to them to watch me follow my dream, or they came at me from a place of fear and tried to convince me that it was not a safe thing for a woman of my age to be doing by herself....traveling alone in a foreign country. (Gee....It's IRELAND not Afghanistan) That was 'OK' though because these interactions served purposes for me too. The positive comments of course shored me up and drove me on when I, myself, began to doubt the sanity of what I was doing and the negative comments offered me opportunity to witness just how much fear still exists in most people's lives. This is something I feel moved to help people overcome so I forged ahead and booked the flight....with no cancellation insurance. There....to back out now would cost me... I would lose my plane fare and I wasn't about to let that happen!
"the Universe had conspired to create circumstances in my life that forced me to re-evaluate my plans"
As luck would have it, by the time summer of 2016 arrived and my trip was just a couple of weeks away, the Universe had conspired to create circumstances in my life that forced me to re-evaluate my plans to leave my career in three more years.....everything aligned to sort of "push me out" of the job NOW. While it wasn't what I had planned on....it apparently was what my soul wanted for me so I took the jump. I launched.
With passport in hand, I boarded my plane in Boston on a Tuesday evening in early August and arrived in Shannon at 5:30 am on Wednesday morning. It was storming pretty badly with gusty winds and heavy rains leaving me to worry about driving visibility. I quickly reminded myself that every part of this journey was meant for me for some reason or another and perhaps facing a bit of fear right out of the starting gate was in perfect order with my soul's own plan for me. So I sucked it up, piled all my stuff into my tiny little rental car, climbed in on what seemed to me to be the WRONG SIDE of the vehicle and pulled out into the left lane of the road. Off I go....driving in Ireland on the opposite side of the road for the first time, during a dark and stormy day, all by myself with no co-pilot to help me read signs and follow directions.
Since it was so early in the morning and my first B&B room was less than 2 hours away, I had planned to visit Bunratty Castle & Folk Village after finding a cafe for breakfast. I had a GPS system with the car and tried to find it but was unsuccessful. I tried 3 times and 3 times the GPS would take me to the same tiny lane with no castle in sight and no signage what so ever for Bunratty. I gave up and decided it wasn't meant to be for me that day and set my GPS for Ballyvaughan, the location of my first over-night stop.
COLLECTING STONES....MAGIC IN THE AIR
While (or should I say "whilst"......which is perfectly acceptable in Ireland) I was driving, I passed a sign for a castle with a tea room and that cuppa tae sounded heavenly to me right then so I turned around and pulled up the heavily rutted dirt lane to the locked gate at the entrance to the estate. While I was waiting for someone to come and open the gate, I had a phone conversation with my one and only friend at the time on the island, JK. I was telling him how I gave up looking for Bunratty after 3 failed attempts and for me, something showing up 3 times is a sure sign from Spirit so I took it as a "shake of the head" and that I was not to visit Bunratty that day but was "being asked" to move along. While sitting there, another car pulled up and when the gates opened, it drove on through. I was still on the phone and within just a couple of minutes, that car drove right back out. I wondered if the passengers in the car drove up and decided the castle wasn't much to see and not worth their time and I said as much to my friend. I immediately followed the comment with, "But I decided months ago that I would let Spirit guide me on this journey and I will not leave any stone un-turned so I am going in anyway."
"...what I am about to say is not easy for most people to hear..."
Much to my delight, I spent my first hour at the castle just sitting in the tea room chatting with a lovely lady who was working there that day. Her name was Carmella and she was a tiny little thing with short dark hair and bird-like features. She was quite chipper and friendly and seemed fascinated to learn that I was traveling alone without any groups or guides and just kept firing question after question my way. Eventually the "big questions" came up. "Are you married? Do you have children?" I always take a deep breath before answering this as what I am about to say is not easy for most people to hear and I can't help but sort of brace myself for their reactions. Of course Carmella was shocked to hear I had lost both of my children and a husband, all by the age of 50 and so a new conversation ensued about life, death and "life after death". Carmella was just beside herself with gratitude over my willingness to talk openly about difficult things like death and suicide and the existence of the soul after it leaves the body. She had lost her father a couple years back and was sure she was "hearing from him" but had no one to talk to about this as she felt that people would think she was making it up. I found it sad that she would feel that way and I wondered how common this was here in Ireland.
As other people started to arrive to tour the castle and estate grounds, I decided to do so myself. I climbed the tiny stone steps that wound up to the top floor of the castle and entered the great room. On my way, I was feeling grateful that I was guided to this place at this time so I could have such a special conversation and interaction with Carmella. I felt truly guided by Spirit already and I had only been in the country for about 4 hours! As I completed my thought I realized that I was standing in front of a large fireplace, looking down at a rock with the name "O'Day" painted on it. Now, I had not noticed that the castle was actually called "O'Dae"....the traditional spelling of the name. I had seen the sign at the road calling it "Dysert Castle" but apparently the family name for the estate was O'Dae. This means nothing to you, the reader, but it certainly did to me and it will strike a chord with my friend and teen-aged travel partner, Tracy. You see, when I was a young girl I had a very adventurous spirit and I spent some time (at the horror of my parents!) hitch-hiking around the country. I was under aged and used a false name if/when questioned by anyone in authority. That name was Vicky O'Day. I had just found a "piece of myself" as expected before embarking on this journey. I found my old adventurous self, that fearless girl of my youth. Thank you Spirit, I am listening...... I have a feeling "she" is going to come in handy over the next 10 days!
***I will not leave any stone un-turned.......(I was having so much fun already!)
After a lovely morning of walking the estate grounds, I headed out toward the village of Ballyvaughan. My plan was to get an idea as to where my first B&B home was located before driving out to see the famed Cliffs of Moher. By then the storm had calmed and the rain was just a drizzle although the sky was still pretty dark at times. I remembered my promise to bring sunshine with me from the US and gave a shout out to all of creation to help me make that happen. Now personally, I didn't really care if it rained or not, hell, I was in Ireland after all! But my friend, JK had been complaining about what a cool and wet summer they were all having this year so I thought it would be fun to bring the sun along with me.
I first saw the sun break through the storm clouds while driving through an area of Ireland called "The Burren". It's a beautiful landscape consisting of mostly limestone, in County Clare on the west coast. A somewhat harsh and barren looking place but stunning just the same with it's multitude of wild flowers growing up through the cracks in the rocks, a sort of natural testament to the well known tenacity of the Irish people.
After lunch at a small pub in the village, where I had my first taste of the Irish brown soda bread, (hearty and delicious!) I headed out to see the cliffs. When I arrived, it was pouring rain and the winds were blowing at gale force there on the coast. I had to use the loo so waited in the long line of tourists for my turn. After 20 minutes, I emerged from the visitor's center to discover that the rains had stopped. The sky was still quite dark and the winds were howling but I would be able to get some pictures of the cliffs without ruining my camera by getting it soaked. Yay!
By the time I climbed all the steps to the viewing area, the clouds had parted just enough to let some light shine onto the face of the cliffs. I was surrounded by tourists all excitedly announcing the same thing...."Look! The sun is out!". I couldn't help but smile to myself and send a big thank you out to the powers that be. I took some photos, helped other tourists get group pictures and then headed back to the parking lot. By the time I reached my car, the sun had gone and the rains returned. What a magical first day in Ireland it was! See photo at top (Learn about the Cliffs of Moher here).
ADAM & CONNOR-FROM DUBLIN
After a comfortable night with a farmer and his wife in Ballyvaughan, I made my way north toward Salthill, Galway co., a popular seaside town with a beach, amusement park and the famed Promenade where people liked to walk along the shore. After taking my time and visiting the magical land of the Fairies at Brigit's Celtic Garden (Click here to see Brigit's Garden) I arrived at my next Air B&B home. This one was a condo in a beautifully landscaped area of Salthill....just a few steps from the Promenade which leads into Galway and the popular Spanish Arch area.
"I felt a heightened sense that something "important" was going to happen there that night so I was "listening" and watching for it."
That evening I decided to walk the 40 minutes along the Promenade into Galway for some music and my first pint in Ireland. The sun was brightly shining and people were out in droves. Just at the end of the Promenade is a crowded district of cobble stoned streets lined with shops, cafes, pubs etc. As soon as I entered the first street my senses came alive with the energy this bustling tourist town was giving off. Sights, smells and sounds of all kinds. There, I got my first taste of traditional Irish music as it was being played in the street by various artists and groups. I felt a heightened sense that something "important" was going to happen there that night so I was "listening" and watching for it.
After walking around just drinking in the atmosphere for a bit, I decided to start looking for a place to have some dinner and a pint. I felt particularly drawn to the sound of a guitar player and singer that was coming from an open window of a pub directly across from me so I crossed the street and went in. To my dismay, even at the early hour of 5pm, the dimly lit bar and all the tables were jam packed and over-flowing with people. A waitress said I could have a table in the restaurant, out back behind the bar, in about ten minutes so I agreed.
As I leaned against the wall watching the fun music scene in the front of the pub where the stage was, I felt disappointed and didn't want to sit out back in the restaurant.....I wanted to be in the pub with the music! I was going to leave and find another pub but "felt bad" that I had the waitress getting a table ready for me so decided to stick it out. And I'm glad I did! After only 5 minutes she came back and said a table in the bar just opened up if I wanted it. How wonderful!
I could hardly contain my excitement when I saw that she was leading me to a small tall-boy right up in front of the stage...directly in front of the stage and also the front door. So I get a front row seat for the music AND get to see everyone coming and going....how perfect!
As is my practice in cases like these, I reach to the Heaven's with my mind and say, "I dont know which one of you is responsible for pulling strings to get me this table but thank you!!!" The next song out of the singer's mouth is 'Whisky in the Jar' . Anyone close to my family, at this point is nodding their head saying, "Oh..ok, it was Adam!" For those who don't automatically get it....let me connect the dots for you.
My son Adam, who passed in 2002, was in a band as a teenager. He and his friends were dedicated Metallica fans and covered their tunes. I have a video of my son goofing around with one of his band mates, making faces in a mirror while singing along with Metallica's rendition of the old Irish song, Whiskey in the Jar. So yes, thank you Adam for the table. It's always so nice to "hear from" my kids that this encounter just raised my vibration even more. I now felt magic in the air around me.
My dinner was served and I continued to enjoy the music when I was somewhat startled by a couple of people randomly placing their drinks next to my dinner plate on my tiny table. They didn't seem to think anything was unusual about this practice so I just thought, "Ok, well....when in Ireland..." and carried on about my business of eating, sipping, listening and watching.
Eventually, these people moved on and 3 new people approached, a mother, a 20-something year old daughter and a son.....a young man with down syndrome who seemed to be enjoying being in this pub swigging on a bottle non-alcoholic of beer. The young man seemed a little hesitant about putting his drink on my table and glanced at me with a little grin as if to ask permission so I smiled big and nodded, indicating he should make himself at home.
The next tune played was a lively one and much to my delight, the young man at my table pulled a bar stool up in front of him and started banging away on it as if he were the drummer in the band, all the while tossing these sweet little side glances and shy grins my way. My heart swelled as I watched this gentle soul really engaging in his "pub experience" and I gave him such big, open smiles that it seemed to encourage him to keep it up.
It wasn't long before the singer noticed the interaction between the enthusiastic drummer and myself and so at the end of his song he asked the boy what his name was. "I'm Connor, from Dublin" From that moment on, Connor became an honorary drummer and band member and each time a song finished the performer would have the audience "give it up for my man, Connor, from Dublin". Just when I thought it wasn't' possible to experience any more love than I was at that instant, my heart opened even wider and I had the powerful sensation that I actually WAS love.....it was an incredible moment and the closest I have ever been to feeling completely euphoric. I actually had a hard time keeping the tears from spilling down my cheeks. I felt so grateful for this experience that I thought if this was the sole reason for my entire trip to the land of leprechauns & fairies then so be it because it was absolutely perfect in every way.
During this hour or so while I finished my dinner and watched Connor bedazzle the crowd with his drumming abilities, I could also feel my son Adam all around me. I literally could feel him as "waves of warm energy" all around me and through me. These moments, I have come to understand, are my "ethereal hugs" and I always cherish them beyond measure.
Again, those close to the family have already made the connection here from Adam to Connor but I will spell it out for new readers......Adam was a kid who always stood up for the under dog. He was known to show kindness to the kids who were being picked on and bullied in school, especially those who where physically or mentally challenged in some way........and Adam was a drummer! I'm not sure my feet ever touched the ground on my 40 minute walk back along the Promenade to Salthill.
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| Galway City Ireland_August 2016 |
THE GRIEVING MOTHER'S CLUB
The next morning I was able to meet my B&B hostess for the first time since she was not at home when I arrived the day before. As we sat chatting away at her kitchen table over tea in the morning, I discovered that she had also lost a child......a 30 year old daughter to suicide not quite 2 years ago.
As it turned out, this lovely woman had just returned from a large family event feeling quite run down and exhausted. Apparently, being surrounded by lots of family members left her feeling even more alone and isolated in her own pain since no one even mentioned her daughter or talked about the suicide. How can a family completely ignore such a large "elephant in the room" I wonder? But then anyone like myself, who has lost someone close to them in this way will recognize this scenario. It could be a scene taken right out of any of our own memory banks of various family gatherings following a tragedy such as suicide.
Of course I felt compelled to share a little bit of my own story with her....just enough to let her know that she is not alone in all of this and that there ARE people out there willing to talk about it and so in this way, I was able to honor her by providing a safe place for her to give voice to her grief. She invited me to spend the day with her walking into town and having lunch together and I eagerly accepted the invitation. THIS is what I am here for. Thank you Spirit....I am listening.
By the end of our day together the rest of my story had come out in conversation and this woman was just speechless and humbled by it as are most people when exposed to it for the first time. She expressed such heart felt gratitude that I have lived through all of this and yet still am willing to offer myself to others for support and encouragement. She said she felt inspired by my strength and willingness to look at all that has happened and actually go out and find ways to help others through similar sets of circumstance....to actually put these life changing events to good use, thus giving more purpose to my "lost one's" lives and deaths. Again I thought to myself that if THIS was the only reason I came to Ireland....to speak openly to this woman about suicide and to sit with her pain as she gave voice to her own grief, then all the planning and expense will have been worth it and I would go home absolutely glowing.
After staying 2 nights in Salthill I picked my way south down to the Dingle Peninsula. I stopped in Ennis along the way as my friend, JK had gifted me a session with "A Traditional Irish Healer" . I arrived early and after locating the healer's office, I decided to walk around town with my camera to kill some time. Toward the end of my free hour, I walked past a shop that sold silver jewelry and remembered that I still had not come across a treasure to take home for myself. I wanted a piece of silver jewelry featuring the famed Connemara Marble but had not encountered one that I really liked yet. It's 'funny', but as I turned around to retrace my steps, I just KNEW I would find exactly what I was looking for in that shop. I found the perfect necklace and so much more (and I am not talking about the additional purchase of matching earrings here!)
"There is a certain bond that is automatically formed when grieving mother's come face to face with one another."
The owner of the shop, Pamela, was very open and friendly and quite helpful from the moment I walked in. She seemed genuinely interested in learning a bit about who I was and where I was from. She became even more animated when she learned I was from America and was traveling alone in her country. She said I was an inspiration to her and other women who dream of doing the same but let fear and worry stop them from following their dreams. She spoke of wanting to take a trip to New York City. She had a dear friend that had moved there some years ago and then passed away. She wanted to make the trip in honor of her friend, to see where she lived and spend some time with the people she became close to in NYC. I told her a bit about how I use ritual and ceremony as a way to help others express and process their grief and encouraged her to make the trip as a tribute to her deceased friend.
Pamela seemed even more delighted to discover that I had so much to say on the subject of death and grief. She confessed that when she saw me walk past her shop she immediately knew that I would turn around and come back.....and that we would be friends! (I think this is when I got my first hug from her!) I told her just a bit about my background and losses at which point she revealed that she also had lost a son some years back. (More hugs!) There is a certain bond that is automatically formed when grieving mother's come face to face with one another. It's just a natural thing....we are bonded at a very primitive level based on this one, very powerful experience we have in common. In this way, we get a glimpse of what this "Oneness" is that everyone talks about among the 'Spiritually Enlightened" people I know.
I could have stayed and spent hours chatting away with Pamela but I did have my appointment to get on to so I had to cut the conversation short. But by the time I left her shop, she had vowed to make that trip to NYC. I'm not sure who was glowing more at this point, her for having been so inspired from a 15 minute conversation or me for having watched this woman light up like she did! Again, though, I was left thinking, "If THIS was the whole reason for my trip then it was all well worth it." Thank you Spirit....I am listening.
My healing session in Ennis was wonderful and relaxing. The practitioner was a man who uses what I would call Reflexology mixed with Acupressure. He also speaks about whatever intuitive impressions he is getting during the session. I could write pages about this experience but will leave that for another time. Let's just say that it was another magical encounter for me that served to banish any remaining doubts I may have had about the new life I was creating for myself. He gave me many suggestions of places I must visit while I was in Ireland....places where I would "feel" the ancient power of the Celtic cultures and the Druids but honestly, I knew I would never remember all the suggestions he was firing off at me so I just stuck to the itinerary I had planned for myself.
DRUNKEN IRISHMEN & LEPRECHAUNS
My next destination was Dingletown on the beautiful Dingle Peninsula in Co. Kerry. Dingletown was a pretty little seaside town with a bustling pub district where the Traditional Sessions of Irish music abound and the old Gaelic language is still spoken by some of the locals . Since it was Saturday night, I got recommendations from my new B&B hostess as to which pubs were best for food, which for music and which one was for the late night crowds. Can you guess where I ended up for the evening? Yep, the late night pub. However, I will say in my defense that I did start out at a family style pub for a proper meal before securing, yet again, the perfect seat in the house at An Driochead Beag, the late night pub in Dingle.
I was right in front of the "stage" area where a father/daughter team played some lively Traditional Irish music and also in line with the front door where I could watch all the people coming and going. Around 11pm or so the singers called it a night and a DJ started playing loud disco music. Turns out there was a night club in the back of the bar with a dance floor. Well that explained the steady stream of young "kids" that had been filing through the the front door during the last hour or so.
I had heard that Irishmen can be bold about approaching women at the bars and not terribly inhibited when it came to expressing their attraction. I was about to find out. Not long after the nightclub scene out back started hopping, a rather intoxicated gentleman approached me, and after slurring out a greeting of, "You look lonely!" attempted to convince me he was from Chicago, Illinois. Normally I would not even engage with a man in his condition but it struck me as hilarious when he would insist, in his thick Oyrish accent that he was, indeed, from Chicago Illinois pronounced Chi (like in 'cheese') Chi-ca-go Ila-noyse (heavy accent on the 's') I couldn't help but laugh and that was all the encouragement he needed.
Eventually he admitted that he was Paddy from Killarney, but not before a second Irishman had come up and claimed he was also from Amerikay. This one decided to slink away with his head down after practically whispering, "No, not really....I'm from Ireland" when I challenged him. Paddy, however, was insistent on keeping the conversation going so of course "Am I married" came up pretty quickly followed by "Why not....where's your husband" followed by "I'm sorry to hear that, what happened to him" etc.....
It's not easy for people in my shoes to answer these questions when asked. It's not that I have a problem talking openly about my experiences, heck I'm actually very passionate when it comes to death and afterlife discussions. The problem for me lies more with the person asking,....I am never quite sure how they are going to take it and I do not like exposing people to more than they can handle. You just never know what another person may be dealing with in their life and news like mine can really shock some people. Turns out, this man was one of those people who was affected a great deal by what I had to say.
"this was all poor Paddy could handle and so he pretty much crumbled into my arms and started weeping"
Paddy seemed pretty shaken by the news of my husbands suicide but still he kept hanging around and I eventually relented and let him buy me a drink after his never ending attempts to do so. By then I had learned that he was there with his nephew and some friends as part of a bachelor party since the young lad was due to be married the following weekend. The rest of the guys in the group were all out back in the night club kicking up their heels on the dance floor while Paddy chatted me up at the bar in the front room.
As is my habit, I braced myself before answering his next question which was "What about kids...do you have kids?" Sigh.....Paddy was absolutely rocked by my answer, that yes, I had 2 children, both of whom are dead. "Oh my God dead? Did you say they were both DEAD?"
I confirmed my statement and readied myself for the next question which was inevitable at this point...."What happened to them?" After explaining about my daughter and her cancer first, I then went on to reveal my son's choice to take his own life at the age of 18. Well this was all poor Paddy could handle and so he pretty much crumbled into my arms and started weeping.
Sometime during the first few minutes of my conversation with Paddy (back when he was still from Chicago...), I had noticed an elderly gentleman sitting just a couple stools away facing me, with his back to the wall. He seemed to be listening to the exchange and had just a hint of a sparkle in his kind eyes which led me to think he was somewhat amused by the whole thing.....but I also understood something that passed between us when our eyes met. I understood that he planned to stay right where he was in order to make sure that I was safe and unharmed by this drunken man or any other that might come my way that evening.
It was at this point, when Paddy had pretty much collapsed into my lap that this man, who's name I would later learn was Kevin, became involved with the scene playing out before him. He saw Paddy's distress and began to pat and rub his shoulder as a measure of support. Paddy collected himself and then opened up to me by telling me that he, in fact, had purposely taken an over dose of medication 6 months ago in an attempt to end his own life. He just kept asking, "How is it possible to be meeting you right now?" "How is this possible?"
It's not an ideal situation to have such an intense conversation with someone who is so inebriated but this is all I had to work with at the time so... Once Paddy got control of himself he just wanted to know how I could possibly still be standing after all of that and I recited my favorite answer to this common question I am asked. "You'd be surprised by just how much the human spirit can bear when it's given no choice". It seemed like that statement did get through on some level as he just kept hugging me over and over and telling me I was "an Angel sent from above".
Eventually, after a bit more discussion and encouragement from me for him to "Walk on Paddy....just walk on" he remembered his real reason for stopping by and resumed his drunken attempts to woo me. I was tiring of this by this point and Kevin seemed to be on high alert so I let Paddy know that I was done talking and he needed to move on and go check on his nephew and crew out back. He refused to leave and I had to actually push him off a couple of times which apparently made Kevin nervous enough to speak for the first time by asking Paddy to respect the lady's wishes. Paddy whined that there was just "something about me" and he couldn't pull himself away but between the 2 of us, we finally got through and off he went in search of his comrades leaving Kevin and I alone to introduce ourselves.
I told Kevin I was aware that he had been watching over me during my encounter with Paddy and I expressed my appreciation. When we shook hands and introduced ourselves properly he held mine a bit longer than necessary and spoke with such genuine admiration that it took me aback a little bit. He said that he knew when he walked in and looked into my eyes that I was "someone special". He said he just "knows" these things about people and felt compelled to keep an eye on me. Turns out he had lived in Dingle all his life and comes into that pub every Saturday night for music and a pint. I thanked him again and explained that it might be best for me to slip out now while Paddy was out back in the night club and he agreed so off I went.
By then it was 2am and I had to walk about a half mile to my room. It was a beautiful evening and the night air was cool and crisp. Once I was off the busy town street and could no longer hear the music from the pub, I began to reflect on all that had happened there in the last couple of hours. I smiled when I thought of this little local Irishman, Kevin, acting as my protector and wondered if I had just encountered a Leprechaun. (I had consumed a bit more alcohol than I was accustomed to after all....). Just then I had entered the darkest part of my walk home. I had to go past a large dairy farm as the condo association was set up on a hill overlooking the farm and then the village down below. There were no street lights or any other homes along this stretch but "the powers that be" apparently were still looking out for me and didn't want me walking that road alone so 2 dogs appeared seemingly out of no where and walked me all the way home. One walked a few paces in front while the other stayed at my side. I didn't speak a word but just enjoyed the companionship and thanked them both "telepathically" by simply opening my heart and letting gratitude flow freely from it. At this point they both seemed to just know they had done their job so they simply turned and walked off back down the hill.
FOLLOW THE SIGNS_WATCH OUT FOR ROAD BLOCKS
The next morning I did some sight seeing by driving around the Dingle Peninsula via the Slea Head drive which is a coastal route that boasts the most beautiful views in Ireland. I have to say that based on everything I was able to see during my 10 day tour, they are right. This area was so incredible that I found bearing witness to it's beauty almost "painful" at times......like just too much to bear and often left me teary eyed.
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| Ventry Ireland_Along the Slea Head Drive |
I still had 4 days left to my adventure and each day contained more magical encounters and synchronistic events that got my attention. These types of occurrences are what I call "God Winks" and I believe, act as "sign posts" or "messages" to aid us in what ever we are currently dealing with in our lives. In my case, they served to show me that my chosen path is a good one for me and Spirit is now rising up to meet me in my efforts to step into my new role as teacher and facilitator of ceremony.
"Everything in existence started with one...single...thought......"
Although this was a really fun blog post to write, it is my hope that the reader "sees the message" that was intended to be conveyed here. That message is about listening to your soul...and responding to what it is telling you. This is how we lead happier, more peaceful and successful lives. When we are constantly hitting "road blocks" or things seem to always fall apart in certain areas of our lives, I feel that we are being invited to take a closer look at our own role and how our beliefs and actions might be contributing to what is unfolding around us.
Once we start paying attention to the "signs" all around us we can begin to accept responsibility for our own experience. Once we are able to accept that we are, indeed, in the driver's seat and are actually creating our own experience in this life, we can then begin to explore the elusive concept of "manifestation" that all the New Agers talk about. But I'll give you a hint......EVERYTHING starts with a thought. Everything in existence started with one...single...thought......
So as I come to a close here I can almost "hear" some of you calling out, "But what of the sunshine you promised to bring to Ireland?" Well "funny" thing happened during my 10 days on the Island....I experienced blue skies and sunshine EVERY DAY while touring the beautiful Emerald Isle. People close to me know that I am typically prepared for everything. I over-pack and don't use half of what I lug around while traveling, but there is one thing I neglected to plan for and bring with me on this trip.....SUN SCREEN. :-)
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