How often do we try to avoid the thing we need?
I wanted to go for a walk during a break at my conference, and put a granny smith apple in my car for the drive home. One path, a direct line to my car, was where the videographer was interviewing people on camera. I could’ve avoided being in the picture and went straight for my car, but I remembered from the day before that he had asked people to stay away. So, I obliged.
The other path to my car was lined with a group of women from the conference. They were sitting in a circle under a tree, chatting it up. I didn’t have it in me to pass by them and possibly get roped into a conversation (two days of a conference will make you want some time alone), so at first I hesitated, and then I decided to go anyway.
At the same time a good looking middle aged guy with long blonde hair, looking like real salt of the earth, walked over to them and offered them something. Not wanting to be solicited, and again wanting to be alone, I thought about changing course.
But, I fought the urge, and I decided, better to just go and see what happens. There was no other way to my car without making it very obvious I was trying to avoid everyone.
I ended up meeting Josh. An amazing human being exuding tons of positive energy. The granny smith apple in my hand caught his attention because he had picked them the day before with a friend, along with two baskets of plums that were made available to everyone at the conference.
He immediately asked “and what’s your name?” and we struck up a conversation.
He started reading the tattoo on my right forearm that is written in classical Tibetan. A language that I would assume less than 1% of the population could read, let alone identify. It turns out Josh learned San Script and Tibetan during his time in Nepal with the Peace Corps.
Back from helping humans in foreign countries, he’s an arborist “healing trees from human problems.”
When he asked me what I did, and I didn’t have a direct answer for him (see Mismanaged Moments, lying about my job), he interpreted what I was trying to say. “You’re trying to figure out how to speak your truth.”
Our encounter only lasted a few moments, but in those few moments I felt this renewed sense of energy and confidence, because this man who I had never met before managed to make me feel loved, accepted, and put a smile on my face.
My intuition, my energy, was pulling me down the path towards Josh. My resistance was saying “don’t go that way! You want to be alone right now.” That’s the tricky thing about the resistance. Most of the times the resistance sounds logical, and more than not it will tell you the thing you want to hear. The thing that will make your life feel easier.
Discerning between intuition and resistance I think is the battle we all face every day. I’m glad I got this one right, and I got to meet Josh.