Missing The Boat

August 3, 2008

Dear Friends,

Throughout my book, and even more explicitly described in my workshops, I list about a dozen different ways that we interfere with the divine flow in our lives, and thus delay the manifestation of our heart’s desires. Among those ways are these three:

1. We consider assumptions to be facts, and we make choices based on that.

2. We think we know best, and we remain rigidly attached to our plans.

3. We look too far ahead, and we miss the next right step that is right in front of us.

You might think that after focusing for more than 20 years on learning how to recognize and cooperate with the divine flow, I would be able to easily avoid these three forms of interference. But the fact is, most of the ways we interfere with the divine flow are quite subtle, and even an “expert” like me can inadvertently miss or dismiss divine guidance. Here’s an example:

One the favorite things that Carol and I like to do is crystal digging. Some of the world’s foremost open-pit crystal mines are near Hot Springs, Arkansas. So when we lived in Dallas, Texas—which is only five hours away from Hot Springs—we would go digging there regularly.

When we decided to move to Sedona, Arizona, we figured it would be a very long time before we had an easy opportunity to go digging again, so we planned one last trip to Hot Springs. This time, however, we decided to break from our routine. First, we decided that we would try digging at a brand new mine. And second, we decided that we would return home via the scenic route, instead of the Interstate.

Well, the new mine was not what we hoped it would be. We found very few crystals, and those that we did find were small and of poor quality. Plus, the weather was cold and misty, so the digging conditions were pretty uncomfortable. Disappointed, we returned to the nearby cabin we were staying in for the night.

When we woke up the next morning, the sun was shining brightly, and my very first thought was, “Now this is a perfect day to go crystal digging!” Carol must have had the same feeling, because she asked me if it was possible to go back to our favorite mine and spend part of the day digging there, before we had to return home. That’s when I failed to follow the flow.

I told Carol that it was, indeed, too far to go back, and if we did, we would have to return home via the Interstate, and we would miss whatever beauty the scenic route had to offer us.

Friends, I told Carol this without even looking at a map! From what I thought I “knew” about where our cabin was located, I just assumed that our favorite mine was too far away, and I never questioned that “fact.”

So we stuck to the plan. We left our cabin, and took the scenic route home . . . which turned out to be nice, but not nearly the spectacular drive we thought it would be.

Only when we got back to Dallas did I take the time to closely look at a map. And guess what? That’s right. Our favorite mine was virtually around the corner from where we were staying! We could have easily spent one more day digging!

Of course, there is no guarantee that we would have found better crystals. And yes, we would not have been able to take the scenic route home. But we quickly realized that we would have gladly traded off the scenic drive for the possibility of coming back with some great crystal keepsakes.

Instead, I completely ignored the intuitive thoughts and feelings that both Carol and I were having when we woke up in the morning, and I didn’t take the next right step that was being called for in that moment. And what was that next right step? To simply look at a map. That’s all—just keep an open mind and look at a map! Instead, I made a choice based on an assumption, and I never really questioned our plan.

Friends, if an “expert” like me can miss a divine opportunity so easily, what does that mean for people who are not nearly as focused on the flow as I am? How many miracles are we missing in life? How much do we needlessly struggle? How often do we—as the saying goes—“miss the boat?”

I believe that we live in a universe that is far more beneficent that we realize, simply because we are constantly missing or dismissing the divine guidance that we are continually receiving.

Here’s to paying better attention, letting go of what we think we “know,” and following the flow to our highest good.

Steven

P.S. To see a picture of the kind of crystals that Carol and I (well, mostly Carol) have found at Ron Coleman’s Mine near Hot Springs, click here.

© 2008 by Steven Lane Taylor
Author of Row, Row, Row Your Boat:
A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow