Sunshine.  Dolphins frolicking in the bay.  Hummingbirds buzzing by.  Monarch butterflies taking a rest on their journey.  Purposeful community.  Connection.  Healthy food in abundance.  Thermal baths.  Hidden nooks and crannies.  A warm comfortable bed at night.

Sounds pretty amazing doesn’t it?  Magical I’d say.

And yet…

…in that same beautiful place I am triggered.  I have moments of fear as I speak my truth.  I feel the shields coming up as I receive positive feedback or when I let someone no.  If I let the connection and love in, when I fully show up, will I lose what I am so seeking?  Do I keep myself alone in order to avoid finding myself alone?

I’m hanging at Esalen for five weeks doing a work study program exploring Non-Violent Communication (NVC) within the larger context of purposeful community.  Learning something one day, applying it in community the next.  It is a magical place.  It is a full life place.  It reminds me that wherever I go, there I am.  Whatever personal development work I need to do comes with me, even to paradise.

Here’s the thing – I’m delighting in that.  In NVC we talk about Universal Needs.  Those needs are foundational to my existence as a human being.  It doesn’t matter where I am, I have needs for connection, for belonging, for expansion, to be seen and heard, for meaning, for safety, for consideration.  If I can explore those needs here, I have the opportunity to explore them anywhere because here’s the thing, once I engage in my life, I can do that anywhere.  Wherever I go, there I am.  I can engage in my life here, there and everywhere.

Wherever you go, there you are.*  What parts of you are calling for some attention no matter what circumstances you are in?  Know that whatever work you do to connect with and heal/integrate those parts of yourself gets to come with you wherever you go. When you do self-work, you are forever the beneficiary of your efforts.

*My gratitude to Jon Kabat-Zinn’s body of work for introducing me to this concept.