I had the most wonderful conversation with Dr. Kelly Sullivan Walden during my March Radio Show. Wow, what a cool lady. Kelly guided us through a beautiful meditation that she shares in more detail in her latest book, A Crisis is a Terrible Thing to Waste, The Art of Transforming the Tragic into Magic. Check out the replay here to listen.
I have so many sticky tabs on the pages now, every chapter offering up a nugget to file away in my own medicine pouch. One of the more profound take-aways for me came on page 110 when Kelly writes, “…but for the love of God, don’t play Russian roulette with your gas tank. When in doubt, fill it up!” This was one of those ‘hit home’ moments in several ways.
In the story Kelly shares, there is a tragic loss that might have been averted if the gas tank had been filled. One of the first memories it brought up for me was my dance with gas and how many times in my teens and twenties, I ran out, often on the way to get gas.
I learned to get out and start pushing after the engine died and before the car stopped rolling. Running alongside pushing, I could keep up the momentum I would never have been able to gain if the car stopped completely. Steering with my right hand on the wheel, I would push with my left hand on the frame. On down the road I would roll with enough momentum to get to the side of the road or up the driveway at the gas station I was often headed to in the first place.
One of those life lessons learned that could have been avoided, 😊 but here for you if you run out of gas and have to push yourself on to the next filling station. And I am not just talking about your car…think of your own body and soul’s fuel tanks.
In all that I have written about choosing you first, scheduling you on your calendar, and keeping you at the top of your priority list, it is always to remind you that if you give all of you to everything you do and everyone you do for, you are emptying your tank metaphorically and physically. Rumi says, “Never give from your well, only give from your overflow.”
When you are running on empty, you can’t gift the world the best of you. All they can get, is just what is left of you, and you end up on empty. Think about these:
- Can you give yourself permission to rest and recharge (let go of any guilt and embrace You first).
- Do you know that You are worthy of taking time for yourself and prioritizing your own well-being.
- Will you trust yourself to recognize when you need a break and make that #1 on your to-do list.
- Know that acknowledging your own needs allows you to put you at the top of your priority list.
- Now Repeat As Often As Necessary…”I am grateful that I can take care of myself. It allows me to show up for others with a full tank.”
Have you checked your gas tank lately or are you driving along trusting that the yellow light will remind you when it is time to fill up?
What is your “yellow light?” What triggers you remembering You, and your need to replenish the well?
What gauge do you use to determine when “You” are running low and need to refill or recharge?
If you feel so inclined, journal your answers and begin to track the distance between your “filling stations.”
Don’t let a tragedy be the signal that you need a refill. Use those bumps and bruises as opportunities to envision positive change for yourself and the work that you do and want to do in the world.
Decisions born out of necessity can sometimes gift you with beautiful moments, memories, or tools for your everyday life, like “start pushing before the wheels stop turning.”
Take each opportunity, good or bad, happy or sad, to rethink the way you do things or envision new ways you want to do them. You may just surprise yourself and come up with new and innovative ways to keep your “tank” full and you at the top of your priority list.
May your well overflow and you gift the world with the best of you.
Many blessings..
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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.
Connect with Vicki here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vickildobbsauthor
