Something’s Missing

What’s missing?

It’s a thought. That thought is “What if we have a showing this weekend?”

It’s been 11-1/2 months since we first got the message to move to Wisconsin and we put our Colorado house on the market. In that time, we’ve put a contract on and lost two houses in Wisconsin, had an offer on our house that fell through because the contingencies couldn’t be met, have had dozens of people walk through our house, had the land warriors in Wisconsin tell us they were putting our feet to fire to fulfill the vision we have for a healing arts center, and had another offer that was so laughable we didn’t know why the people even bothered.

So why aren’t we still out there, slogging away to get the house sold? Aren’t we SUPPOSED to go to Wisconsin?

Life, as we all know, is complex. Sometimes the Universe (or God, or whatever you personally call whatever is behind all this) gives us a missive because of something we need to learn, or do, or hear. Then, when the message has been received, things change. 

When Spirit beckoned us to Wisconsin, there was work to be done there. We got that message loud and clear. What was less clear was that it was OUR work that needed to be done. 

We’ve let our business limp along for years. We love what we do, but making the huge financial commitment that it needs, and taking risks to make it happen in a consistent way, was something that neither Glenn nor I really jumped at. It cannot currently support us financially. Glenn works a day job. This was all safe.

So the Universe sent us a message where we could feel “safe” and still move the business forward. Move to Wisconsin! We could buy a place there without having a mortgage, and could focus on our business instead of keeping a roof over our heads. We found a great place, and with the profit from the Colorado property, we would have had enough to build what we needed to get a good business going there. 

The land warriors showed up on that property, showing us where the building would go, and letting us know in pretty strong terms that they were expecting us to step up and not let this slide. They wanted a firm commitment. We felt into that, felt scared and exhilarated at the same time, and committed. We were on the path!

Well, then the path got pretty wobbly. Home prices in Colorado plummeted, especially large parcels like ours. Our nest egg got smaller and smaller, but we were committed, and we worked around each problem. We lost the house in Wisconsin and someone else snapped it up quickly.

We decided to settle back and wait until the Colorado house had a firm contract before trying to find something else in Wisconsin. Meanwhile, home prices here continued to spiral downward. We had a couple of offers but couldn’t find common ground. The vultures were circling with ridiculous offers, and we refused to die.

Enter the dragonfly. How it got into our house, we don’t know, but it lost its life getting us a message that we interpreted as don’t wait any more. We found another house in Wisconsin and put it under contract, and prices here continued to go down.  Eventually the contingency ran out, and there we were, no house in Wisconsin, 11-1/2 months into the adventure and feeling the entire process stalling out.

What were we missing? 

I just looked up Dragonfly again on Spirit-Animals.com, and making a decision and moving on is the third interpretation. The whole move to Wisconsin to do what you need to do scenario was the entry point, so we could go down a long path to realization. Hindsight is so wonderful, yes? Especially for hard-headed humans. 

Interpretation 1: Pay attention to your deeper desires. Be mindful of the outcome you wish to have. Envision that outcome into existence. Let it become your reality.

Interpretation 2: Live your life to the fullest with what you have. Seek the habits that need changing.

So - what outcome do we want? We want to assist others to find joy, beauty and hope in their life through art, through the horses, through animals, through nature. Do we want to be massively rich? No. We want to make a difference. 

What habit(s) need changing? Where do I start? Commitment (we got that bugaboo taken care of, courtesy of the land warriors). We needed more belief in ourselves. We needed to realize that we don’t have to start over again to do what we want to do. And we definitely want to bring more spirituality and trust into our lives.

The Buddhist philosophy focuses a lot on the middle ground. Neither rich nor poor, massively angry or incredibly sad, it’s about being in the moment and reveling in what is right in front of you. We realized we don’t have to go somewhere else to fulfill what our purpose is in this life. Our purpose is to make a difference, not to be constantly reinventing ourselves.

So we’re staying. This is good on so many levels. We love this house and property. It suits us. Our animals love it. They’re safe behind high fences and tall grass. They won’t have the stress of traveling 1500 miles and getting to know someplace else. This is their home as much as ours. We have nice neighbors. We have a view of the front range of the Rockies that is magnificent, and we are right in the middle of some gorgeous nature. 

The Enlightened Squirrel Healing Arts Center will have its home right here in Colorado, and we are committed to that. Our huge indoor arena is getting a major refresh, so stay tuned!

Oh, the land warriors who spoke to us so eloquently from Wisconsin? They say they are watching us, will be with us, and will royally kick our butts if we don’t follow through. So not only do we have commitment, we have incentive. I’ve “seen” these guys. They are not to be messed with.