Determination and Focus
Diving towards the light…
I was driving the I-40 east, having just left Kingman. I’d been on the road for nearly eight hours and “road fog” was beginning to cloud my thoughts, pushing me into a space of no attention, a dangerous lack of focus. I took the 93 exit towards Wickenburg and pulled off the road.
I made sure I was well off the pavement and rolled down the windows for some fresh air, inhaled deeply. “I’ll just close my eyes for a minute or two so they can rest.”
In that space of sitting quietly, eyes closed, in that most unexpected moment of relaxation pulled over on the side of a freeway offramp, I suddenly found myself alone in the middle of a saguaro forest. The sky, threatening a storm, had gotten so dark, all the shadows of everything around me were gone, including my own.
Still trying to figure out how I got from my car parked off the freeway to this mountain desert, I am startled by the sound of a hawk’s cry in the distance. I decided to see if I could find the hawk and looked around for a trail. Finding none, I begin to pick my way through the prickly pear and the cholla being very careful where I set each foot as I know the desert is beautiful, but not always friendly. I found a gnarly old branch from a mesquite tree and used it for balance as I picked my way across the stone littered ground.
The call of a raven reached out to me. I spotted a pair of them sitting on the top of the saguaros arms just as the hawk came diving into view headed towards a sunlit patch on the hillside. Talk about focus and precision diving out of the sky towards the only light on the ground.
Tap. Tap. Tap came a strange sound next to my head. Startled, I turned to see a highway patrolman knocking on my car window inquiring if I was OK? Shaking the sleep from my brain, I answered him and explained I had just needed a minute with my eyes closed before heading on to my place in Cave Creek. He reminded me that there were plenty of hotels in Kingman just 20 miles or so back and that there was nothing in front of me for a couple of hours.
I assured the officer I was fine, the adrenaline pumping my heart up a notch or two and certainly bringing me back into full attention. But where did the saguaro, ravens and hawk go? In fact, there were no saguaro at all where I stopped, only a few Joshua Trees and assorted brush and brambles.
I drove on that day re-imagining where I had been and what the message for me might have been. That night as I unpacked and set up my office away from home, the message was made quite clear when I looked at the computer screen without my glasses and nothing was quite “sharp”. It was all out of … I got it! FOCUS.
What a trip for such a simple message. I had been scattered and distracted, lost focus and thankfully pulled over when I needed to. Have you found yourself in that same situation?
What did you do to re-focus yourself?
That spot of light on a saguaro dotted hillside under a darkened cloudy sky was such a power-filled memory I will carry for some time.
FOCUS – eyes on the prize, keep your eyes on the road ahead and stay focused.
Safe travels everyone and listen for the hawk’s cry or the ravens call, they just might have a message for you too.
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“Get my Free Gift Living An Intentional Life”
Vicki Dobbs is a bold and adventurous warrior walking a path of heart to manifest spirituality in everyday lives. She opens existential gateways for individuals to face their challenges and embrace these tests as the great teachers that they are.
Her goal is to see everyone walk in beauty and balance every day of their lives empowered by the voice of their own authentic truth.
Through Wisdom Evolution and Sacred Wisdom Workshops, Vicki creates opportunities for others to make deep personal changes through experiential classes, ceremony, sacred art and story. She endeavors to inspire others to create their lives intentionally. Vicki is an Inspirator of everyday awareness, an Instigator of spontaneous stories and a Connoisseur of Creativity. Gratitude and grace sprinkled with humility and humor are the medicine she brings to the world.
As an Elder, Teacher and Entrepreneur, Spiritual Coach, Ordained Minister and Crafter of Sacred Art and Tools, Vicki perceives life’s journey as an ever-upward spiraling ascension of the human spirit leading her to wisdom, wholeness and authenticity.
Her experience includes being trained in the Harner Method of Shamanic Counseling and the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of Cross Cultural Shamanism. She is a Graduate Teacher and Mentor with the Lynn Andrews Center For Sacred Arts and Training and has been the Administrator and Writers Guide for Writing Spirit, the School.
Vicki is also an Artist of the Spirit Certified Spiritual and Energetic Life Coach, a Graduate Mentor in the AoS program and a founding member of HeatherAsh Amara’s Warrior Goddess Leadership Team and Facilitator of the Warrior Heart Practice.
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https://www.facebook.com/SacredWisdomTeachings
