***This was originally written in September of 2016...just a few weeks after my return from Ireland. I never published it at the time as I wanted to keep it all to myself for a while. But now that the one year anniversary of the trip has arrived, I feel it's time to share the story.
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"
