Unbearable Lightness of Being a Forest Fatale . . .
January 8, 2012
Have you ever driven in a snow storm at night? Well after hours of driving, and then hitting a snow storm, one begins to have the illusion that they are flying in the air. It must be some sort of trick of the eye that alters the perspective. This winter holiday I took my girls to Sun Valley Idaho, to be in the mountains and learn to ski. Getting to Sun Valley was a challenge. Trying to mask my fear so the girls wouldn't panic, while attempting to navigate the slippery terrain, I felt like I was in the last scene of my most favorite book, The Unbearable Lightness Of Being by Milan Kundera. In the last scene the two lovers drive into the snow and then into the after world . . . The lightness of love, and the heaviness we carry has been on my mind a lot lately. In the book Sabina is the one who resists commitment while Tereza is heavy with it. Which one is better off? As the snowflakes fell and organized themselves on my windshield, I tried to stay heavy, alert and go against the sensation of flying . . .
Once in Sun Valley, my girls and I learned to ski. Though I've skied before I have never had the courage to actually go down a mountain. This time around I heard a tip that seemed to release me and literally set me free. An instructor said "ski with your arms forward, as if you're embracing your fear." For some reason that image worked for me. I'm trying desperately in my life to conquer fear, worry, negativity and this seemed like a metaphor for my life. I literally began to ski leaning forward and as if I was embracing my life. Here I was, a grown woman, learning to ski and yet feeling like a baby taking its first steps. This time, unlike the dangerous drive through the blizzard, I could let myself be light . . . I could fly . . .
New Year's Eve i was with dear friends and my daughter's best friend who made me a little drawing of a deer in forest with the caption "Forest Fatale". I was feeling a bit blue not having a beau to kiss, so this seemed like a mini miracle since I've recently been told that my Spirit animal is a deer. Ironically I've been on a deer tangent. In the last month I've nearly crashed into two, and then I've seen them literally on every hike or walk I've taken. I really am getting the message "Watch them, learn and listen . . ." What is your spirit animal? Look . . . listen . . . they show themselves . . .
This week we find two fairies Alexis Smart and Rebecca McTrouble who share with us their gifts, and an actual fairy house in Wales.
Embrace your fears in the new year, bear the heaviness or lightness of life, and learn to soar . . .