I always thought I would get with it one day.
Have an exercise regiment, get in shape.
Find the answers to life, the universe and everything.
Find my passion and drive it through to it’s natural conclusion. (happiness and wealth, right?!?)
I would figure it all out and have it all. (At least the all that really mattered. And I would understand why it mattered and why the stuff I didn’t have and didn’t need didn’t matter.)
You know, I would become enlightened.
I thought I would reach some sort of state of perfection. And I sort of did.
I had a great exercise regiment. I was really enjoying the exercise.
I got so strong that I did a century ride around lake Tahoe…
And then I had kids.
I got so enlightened that I took a yoga teacher training course…
And then I had bills to pay.
I established a nice balance between work life and home life…
And then I got lyme disease.
Feel free to insert your own ideas here. The formula is pretty simple.
I <insert awesome thing here>…
And then I <insert derailing event/activity/acquisition here>
These aren’t excuses. They’re not explanations. They’re my life. And my life has had its successes and its failures. I’ve had my triumphant achievements and my cataclysmic events.
Like all things that happen to us, each event is a mixed bag. You can look at them as negatives or positives depending on your outlook in life. I don’t regret having kids for a moment. But to say it’s all sunshine and roses is delusional at best. To say it’s all manure and storm clouds is equally delusional. But to say these activities derailed my previous activities and reset my mental image of who and what I am is completely apt. To say that these events were life changing and forced a shuffling of my priorities is accurate. To say that in the shuffle I lost a few things that were important to me is also true.
So where do we go from here?
You’ve just been smacked down by life. What’s the next step?
Try again.
I always figured that once I had an epiphany and saw the light it would remain in view. I didn’t consider the fact that someone or something would jump up into my view and block my visibility of the afformentioned light. I didn’t consider that my epiphany would fade or need to be adjusted for the new world that formed around me. I never considered that I would have to have the same epiphany again.
It’s happened enough in the last few years that I have decided there needs to be a word for it. So when an epiphany comes back to you that you had forgotten over time, it shall now be referred to as a repiphany.
I also have to admit that I was initially ashamed of the idea. Or at least hesitant to mention that I needed to relearn something so vital to my world view. The idea that I would need to be slapped in the forehead by the same idea over and over again implies that I’m a little slow.
However once I came to terms with the idea that I may be a little slow, I warmed up to the concept.
The universe is patient and kind. It doesn’t mind repeating itself. It will send a lesson as often as it is needed and repeat that lesson whenever you need a refresher.
Embrace the repiphany.
Open to the idea that there is room in your life for a reset button. Maybe you’re not in the shape you were a few years back. Maybe your health isn’t where it was before that thing happened to you that made everything take a turn for the worse. Maybe you aren’t the same person you were when you realized that you needed to become a yoga instructor. But you still have room for growth.
Lucky for you, you’re already perfect. So you’ve got that going for you. All you need now is to remember to not be afraid. Be open to repeat experiences. Be open to hearing the same story from the past and learning the same lesson and reapplying the conclusions that were lost over time.
Open yourself to repiphany.
Namaste,
Kevin
