Scorpio Blog (9/28/11): Hakuna Matata, I have a HEART- car.

Hello DearSouls,

I have a confession to make:  I have had a fear of blind spots.

I had my first car accident shortly after I turned 16. I was driving along, looked in my side mirror to change lanes…and out of nowhere, a car hit me. The accident was minor, and no one was hurt. But I remember being so shaken afterwards. The whole thing surprised me so- Where did that car come from?

Yes, I fear of blind spots.

Still, to this day, I find myself turning my head to look behind me when I change lanes. Nearly 20 years later, and I still don’t trust the areas of the road that cannot be seen while looking forward or through either the rear-view or side mirrors.

I have spent my life uncomfortable with what I cannot “see”, what I cannot "measure". I have even based my career around identification and management of risk.

Guess you could say I make “a living” mitigating the blind spots.

In the ME-journey, the search for my soul, I have come to terms and made peace with blind spots. Today, I embrace with much anticipation the idea of a future that is unwritten. But first, I had to learn to trust the unknown and be okay with what I cannot forecast.

My ego has been (but no longer!) the controlling influence in my life, creating illusions and ideas that I had about myself. Not being good enough, fearing judgments of others, etc. I spent much of my life believing these illusions were truth, and as my life became increasing complicated (self-induced, thanks to Miss Ego), this identity held me back from knowing who I really was, who I am.

With my ego, I had fabricated an idea of believing that I was what I have and I was what I did. With the help of my ego, we had warped and distorted the way I assessed and lived life.

As you know, “Objects Are Larger Than They Appear” when you are seeing things through a rear-view mirror.   This is the disclaimer that they put on the car mirror, warning us not to confuse reality with the image in the mirror. So, we understand that this is a distorted view in the reflection we see from the mirror and we make the appropriate adjustments.

I think of my ego the same way I think about my rear view mirror.

What we see when we look through the rear-view mirror is distorted, life's situations and "stuff in general" appearing larger than they actually are.

So, in order to control the car and change lanes in life, we must make adjustments and be aware of the Ego's distortions. The ego distorts our view of ourselves...and as a result, objects and situations in our life appear larger, inflamed, irritated, and exasperated.

The “big win” in my life was simply the awareness of the ego’s misrepresentation of the actual view of me and its impact on my perceptions in life. Once I identified the risk my ego imposed in my life, I could begin to mitigate its impact and diffuse its power.

So, last week I’m driving along the road of life in my HEART-car (get it, Smart car).  I was aware of my EGO-car in the other lane.  I had, what I thought was a good watch on my ego, driving alongside in the other lane.

All was going well in my world, and I felt like I was ready to change lanes. All of my mirrors were adjusted; my HEART-car was operating smoothly.

Life was in balance and in harmony... I changed lanes... And then out of nowhere, much to my surprise…the Ego- car hit me!

I began to have fears about moving into another lane. I started worrying that maybe I wasn’t ready yet to move.  My mind chatter was telling me that I was balanced and in harmony in the lane I was driving and perhaps moving into a different lane would cause me to loose my balance and harmony I have worked so diligently to achieve.

Yes, the Ego-car was hiding out in my blind spot. And the objects (the realities of the situation) were DISTORTED and were larger than they appeared.

This weekend my daughter and I went back home. It was the first time for us to go back to my roots, since my life totally changed 6 months ago. I felt anxiety and fear building all week. My family and friends totally support me and were looking forward to our homecoming, yet I was scared of leaving the quiet environment of my life and the comfort of my nest.

Over the past months, I have found balance in my life. My HEART-car knew we were ready to change lanes and go back to our people, my roots, where it all began. I could hear the humming of my Heart’s engine telling me to be confident that I could do this and that I was ready. My Heart felt it was time to step up my manifestation and raise the bar to encounter new circumstances and scenarios.

During these months, I have been studying the fundamentals of a spiritual life and practicing these techniques. I have built the foundation to maintain balance and harmony thought whatever life presents to me.  

But out of nowhere, I was blindsided. I didn’t see my ego coming and we nearly crashed.  The fears of my ego tried to run my HEART- car off the road!!! We veered, swerved left and then right…but we maintained control of our car.  

And I am happy to report that no one was hurt. My HEART-car stayed on road.

We are in the middle of our stay here, and this visit has been more enjoyable, more relaxing and more peaceful than I ever imagined. The lesson I learned was that that my tool belt to maintain balance is inside me, my heart.

I am reminded that the tools to living in harmony are not outside of me. And it doesn’t matter if we are going back to my hometown or Timbucktoo... I’m traveling in my HEART-car.

The Ego can and probably will continue to try to creep into my lane through a blind spot, but what I know is that NOONE, NOTHING can crash into me when I’m driving in my HEART-car.

I’m ready for the next phase of this whole process, the next challenges and lessons. I will continue to have much gratitude, acknowledging that everything is presented to me and happens for a reason. God Universe will continue to send me whatever situations I need, because it’s time and we are ready.

I don’t need a crystal ball or some fancy risk assessment to prepare me for life’s blind spots. As long as I continue with routine maintenance to care for my HEART-car, I WILL maintain my balance and project the happiness and peace that I truly feel in the silence and solace of my environment or any environment, for that matter.

Last night we went to see the movie Lion King at the theatre. This movie is a beautiful metaphor of the powerful impact the ego can have in our lives.

In the movie, the young cub, Simba, is tricked into believing that his father’s death resulted from the cub's carelessness. Ashamed, Simba, flees the Pride Lands, intending to never return. Simba collapses in the wasteland after his escape, but is found by Timon, a meerkat, and Pumbaa, a warthog. The duo nurse him back to health and take him in, teaching him their motto, "hakuna matata".

Hakuna matata is a Swahili phrase which means "no worries", and and is central to the moral content of the film. The musical score, written by Elton John, talks about moving on from your troubled past and forgetting your worries.

So, what is the point I’m trying to make with this song from the Lion King?   When anchored in the past, living in fear of what could happen …the objects in your rear-view mirror appear larger, distorted, they are not what they seem.

 
If we drive through life in our HEART-car, we don’t have to fear the blind spots!!!  Hakuna Matata, it means no worries for the rest of your days. It’s our problem free philosophy. Hakuna Matata.

Stay in your HEART-car, folks. Leave your fears behind.  Listen to and Trust in your heart. No worries!!!

As I sign off…I leave you with one question:  Are you driving through life in your HEART- car??? Are you following your schedule of routine maintenance to take care of your HEART-car???  What's your philosphy on Life's blind spots?   

With Love, Light and Hakuna Matata,

Mara:)