Unexpected Lessons from a Home Buying Marathon

How is your summer growing? I bet you have done a lot in 2022. What would you like to celebrate? What can be improved in your life?

We’ve had heat, rain, hail in Colorado. The ground has been greener than usual – a fertile, welcomed surprise for this arid region. As we move through August into September, it’s time to harvest what we have sown since the spring, acknowledge the lessons, feel where we are in life and integrate them. This is the power of earthly Virgo energy, highlighted by the sun moving into the analytical sign on August 22.

For me, I have tried different ways of looking at what/where a home is, experimented with my practice, and went out of my comfort zone. Old issues still knock on the mental-emotional door and gain entrance. They make a new mix of dilemmas which invite new perspectives.

This is how we evolve and thrive. We get on The Bus of Life and travel with fellow sojourners. We go over bridges, dirt roads, and highways. Sometime fast and sometimes stuck in a puddle. Some riders get off the bus and get on another. The scenery excites, morphs, and at times tightens our chest and stomach.

We are alive.

This return to Colorado has been significant for my growth. Some lessons applicable to career, life, wellness, relationships, and prosperity:

1. Life is short and needs to be savored, not tolerated. In the 10-month journey to find a home, my inner child angst and joy appeared often. For the most part, I didn’t judge the former but noted the discontent – what still needs to be held and healed. I got support. I increasingly became okay with feeling what I feel. In my fifties, I no longer want to endure certain things, despite internal and external voices insisting that being compliant would earn approval and peace.
2. The universe listens. It wasn’t like a Christmas wish coming true – we would have gotten a home last January. I asked for a purchase that is for our highest good. I can see now why it took so long. After 8 terminated contracts we cruised right into a smaller, cute house in the town we love. When the conditions are ripe, the true and real manifests quickly.
3. Be mindful of the inner child wounds and their adult consequences. I am all for trusting the gut, but during the house hunt my inner child triggers at times felt like a wise instinct. It muddled what I cherish in the present: freedom, comfort, and time. I had Little Match Girl moments coveting turnkey condition houses with grand kitchens and large yards. In a red-hot market where brokers advised to bid sky high, there was temptation to give up on my values for a quick inner child fix. At the end, the right house did emerge and I was glad to have stayed true to myself.
4. Stick with life’s mission for meaning. Getting a job to pay for an expensive home would have meant putting Connect2Self on hold. I’d done it before. The paycheck and tasks were good for a while, then I missed being fully expressing myself at work. For me, when it comes down to a big, lovely house vs. resonant work, I am happier choosing the later. (I am working on having both : ) Go with what fills the heart and be conscious about choices.
5. It gets better just when you want to give up. I didn’t want to believe this at first. I thought effort and action bring desired results. Not always. The limbo of being between homes was a hard place to be, and my courage fatigue kicked in. At Month 10, I worried that I would lose my grip and get whatever house we can find. In the nick of time, the right listing came along. Hanging in there has merit.

Questions for You

• Take a deep breath, close your eyes, connect to the core of earth. Play back 5 of your favorite things about 2022. What are they? How do you feel when you re-experience them?

• Envision yourself flying over and looking down in your world. What are the 3 things you would like to change today? Through what new POV can you see the situation? What would you do differently?

The new moon in efficient and service-oriented Virgo is August 27. We can use this energy to kick off new projects and healthy perspectives, a new way of being ourselves.

WHAT’S NEWS

Experience My New Meditation Meet Your Inner Child 14 minutes of self-love, visualization, and relaxation for insight and peace. Please let me know how you like it!

The THRIVE Hour will resume after I properly settle in my new place. I have two workshop series in mind to create career resilience and inner child connection. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, please take time for self-care and use my THRIVE mini workbook for a life reflection.

Much love,

Sue