Sojourn

Sometimes I allow my curiosity to lead me. Well, honestly most of the time I allow my curiosity

to lead me. I think we all have text someone or received a text from someone that wasn’t

intended for you or the recipient. But the message was received at the right time for the right

reason. I had something like that happen to me the other day. I got a one-word text that was a

pocket text. The word was sojourn. I looked at my message said that isn’t for me. Then the

follow up text whoops. But wait… I stopped in my tracks. I said sojourn. Sojourn. Sojourn. It

rolled around in my mind a few times. Then I thought does that mean taking a trip? I had a few

pictures in my mind of what I thought it meant. I wasn’t satisfied with my own thoughts. I asked

SIRI. Defined, sojourn basically means a temporary stay or a visit. Figuratively speaking it can

also mean an emotional or spiritual time frame. In general, it means a period of rest, a visit, a

detour and it can even mean a diversion.

Rabbit hole? Maybe. I jumped in. Sojourned right into the curiosity of becoming a sojourner of

my own mind. Maybe it was a diversion to help me procrastinate doing paperwork or maybe it

was just a visit into the unknown. But on this little period of rest, this small detour, sojourn

made a big impact on my day and has followed me into the new week. I liken it to, the Buddhist

concept of impermanence. That concept has sat with me since I was just that teenager in my

teacher’s classroom in high school. The only truth in life is that change takes place. In 2012, I

wrote that statement in the local newspaper. I was a staff writer. There was a section of the

paper called My Turn. I think I was leaving the paper to journey out into my new office. I had

only worked at the paper a short time before I started my Coaching and NLP Practice. In my

goodbye “My Turn,” I included that sentence. The only truth in life is that change takes place. In

the following weeks publication, a local pastor had written a comment back to me in the letters

to the editor section. He claimed that my statement was incorrect, and that the only truth in

life was a “Christian biblical reference.” Something along the lines that the only truth in life is

that Jesus Christ is the way and the light. I had no desire to rebut him. I had no desire to tell him

his opinion was just that, His opinion. He spoke his truth. I had spoken mine. But I did sit with

part of his comment. You are incorrect.

Maybe I was incorrect. I could say with certainty that It was my opinion. Not a Truth. Man, that

felt good. My opinion didn’t have to be anyone else’s truth. It was just that. My opinion. Just

like that I had a tiny enlightenment before I even knew about enlightenments. My mind had

opened to acceptance. I knew moving forward that I was different. The enlightenment was the

realization that there are many truths. Every person has their own set of values, morals, beliefs,

and personal truths. I also realized it was not my job nor my desire to force, my values morals,

beliefs, and personal truths on anyone else. It was my desire, however, to help people help

themselves if they asked for help and that became the foundation of my business Change Takes

Place.

I’m not going to lie. It is hard when you can clearly see someone else’s problems. You see their

mistakes and their obstacles. If you have had their problem in the past, you have knowledge

that they don’t have. This makes It is so easy to tell other people how to fix their problems. And

that’s a huge problem in and of itself. This world isn’t set up for someone else to tell you how to

fix your problems. This world seems to be set up for you to fix your own problems. For you to

have your own consequences. For you to heal yourself. I’m not talking about walking through

the fire alone. I’m talking about the answers. The answers come to you when you are ready.

The solution comes to you when after you’ve been trying to solve the problem. Kind of like

math if someone is doing your homework for you, You won’t learn the formula. Life is funny

how it works that way. You do the work. You make the mistakes. You learn the consequences.

You move forward with new learnings, new lessons.

Life has a lot of seasons. Up and downs. Good and bad times. You might go strong for a long

time and them you might feel like you got it all wrong. Either way, it is temporary. Shore

yourself up, correct your direction, get on the new path. It all snaps together. Albeit each path

is uniquely different. As I sojourn into my next season, I am grateful. Thank you for being a part

of this period of my life.

AnaÏs Nin Author and poet, has several poems and essays I love. This week I share her quote.

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world, possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only

by this meeting that a new world is born.”

As I now know and understand this moment, good or bad, up or down, this present moment is

temporary. Life in my opinion is a sojourn. Birthing a new world is right around the corner.