It's funny how things happen. It seems like whenever direction is needed, it comes, sometimes in unexpected ways. Life is full of twists and turns. Of course that is what makes life interesting, but change can also be a little scary at times. We have been entering into a period of change in our lives.
* * *I just got finished reading
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It is the story of a shepherd boy named Santiago, who travels from his homeland of Spain across the desert to the Egyptian pyramids in search of a treasure he saw in his dreams. Along his way he meets several people who point him along the path of his Personal Legend. With the help of a King named Melchizedek, who gives Santiago the Urim and Thummim to help him find his truth, a Gypsy woman, and an
Alchemist, he is able to search is own soul and figure out where his treasure really lies. He also learns to observe the omens placed along his journey. Eventually he learns to speak the Language of Life and discovers how to communicate with the Soul of the World. This story is filled with inspired wisdom and powerful simplicity and ultimately teaches the importance of following your dreams. I found many quotes in this book that applied to our current situation. They are displayed here in italics.
* * *Operating Partner of a busy restaurant is a demanding job that has occupied the majority of my husbands time. Our family time is severely infringed upon on a daily basis because the hours he works are so long and all over the place. Days, Nights, Weekends, Holidays, arrggh! For a while now Steven has considered leaving PF Chang's for a job that would provide for more time with me and the kids. However, searching for another job was difficult to find time for. He was just way too busy. Our only hope was to have an opportunity come to us. A few weeks ago this happened and we couldn't pass it up.
* * *Luck and coincidence. It's with those words that the universal language is written.
When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.
* * *This new job is with a fairly young company where there is
a lot of growth potential. It is owned by some family friends who have owned highly successful companies in the past. Steven will be working with one of his best friends who we both have great respect for. We are basically getting in on the ground floor and if this business proves to be successful, we will be able to experience growth in a way that we haven't been able to in the past. The timing just happened to coincide with our willingness for change. In all the years we have contemplated changing jobs we just weren't really ready...until now. Somehow we both felt it was the right time.
* * *Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected and we are able to know everything, because its all written there.
When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. * * *So now we face the end of an era. In one month we will no longer be working for said restaurant and will be on our way in our
new venture. With this change comes many sacrifices but also many rewards. Instead of dwelling on the sacrifices, I will highlight our exciting rewards. More time together as a family!!
More time!! Time is our most valuable asset and the fact that my kids will have their dad home every night to tuck them in is going to be amazing. A 9-5 job with paid holidays is just a huge blessing for us. We have never experienced that kind of lifestyle before. I'm really looking forward to no longer being home alone late at night waiting for my hubby to come home. I'm also very excited to balance out our schedule. No more early mornings followed by late nights and vice versa. Some normalcy will be really nice!
However, I cant deny the risks we are taking and how I'm left feeling slightly concerned about our choice, in a practical sense. Are we making the right decision for our family? Will the gamble pay off? How are we going to adjust our lifestyle to fit the many changes, financial and otherwise? And if I'm being perfectly honest, What about all the
stuff I want to buy that we wont necessarily have money for, at least for a while? On and on and on. Then I read this...
* * *We are afraid of losing what we have whether its our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand. * * *I trust in that hand. I trust that we will be blessed for following our "Personal Legend".
While traveling the desert, Santiago learns an important Arabic word,
Maktub. Maktub is an alchemist term which literally means
It Is Written. From a mystical point of view, it points to the fact that whatever happens is already known to God. It signifies that destiny exists.
* * *The really interesting thing about this whole experience is that, in the strangest way, I am really looking forward to living on less. I'm ready to detach from my many wants and find freedom from the constant need to buy something. I will always want things but I don't always need things. I'm excited to shift my focus from materialism and consumerism to heightened awareness and presence. Choosing to live more in the moment instead of stressing about the future is going to teach me a lot about myself and I know I will grow a lot too.
We are about to follow our dream of having more time together as a family. We are filled with excitement because we know where our treasure is...
precious moments together...and I am thrilled because we have found it!!
* * *(While I was writing this post, I came across this fun website. If you have any life questions of your own, check
this out!)
***If you haven't yet had the chance to read The Alchemist, I highly recommend it. I had to put my name on a waiting list at my local library in order to check it out but I was worth the wait.***