Give to Receive

If I haven't mentioned it before (surely I have...), I LOVE nudges from the Universe... those sublime, perfect moments when you have to smile, give a nod to the sky and say THANK YOU for showing me the way.

That was me today.

I'm still reading The Secret...taking my time, chewing on the quotes, journaling when I feel the urge. And it was no coincidence that several events collided into the "perfect storm" for me with today's chapter...MONEY.

It's a pretty meaty subject for most people. What did we grow up hearing about money as a child? How does that effect the way we see it as adults? Do you curse the electricity company, grumble under your breath, and get all riled up as you pay for the services you used? Or do you welcome the bill, say "thanks for trusting me to pay," and send off the check with a stamp and a kiss?

I can probably guess which one it is. No judgement here people...I'm on this journey too!

Everything I'm reading (and feeling) is nudging me towards the latter option... And if we choose that option...bare with me...what COULD our lives look like then? 

One of the keys to abundance is FLOW...meaning money flows both in and out of our lives. And understanding that concept means you get that the outward flow makes more room now for the inward flow.

It's like cleaning out your closet! Once you chunk a few things, even if you were a little emotionally attached to them, it means there's space on the rack for something new!! And don't we all love something new?!

So back to my story about today...and the money thing...

Brian and I extended our short-term lease on condo-mini for another term, and today I was meeting with our landlord to hand over the cold hard cash. Would it have been easy to get a little bumfuzzled about this? Of course! Did it cross my mind for a minute or two? Um, yeah.

But something beautiful happened. In the process of signing the new agreement and handing over the cash, I started chatting up Mr. Landlord (I know... me? chatty?)  Turns out he's in construction. And in the midst of a few other "peeling" questions, it also turns out he's not making as much right now as he's used to.

Light bulb moment!

I immediately felt warm thinking how awesome it was that we fell into his life at just this moment. He doesn't usually rent our place out long-term...more of a weekend rental, and I can only imagine that our odd request...coupled with the extension of time frame...must have meant a little more financial security for him during a rough patch. It honestly made it so much easier to hand over all those 100s.

So here I am on a feel-good high about paying for something I rightfully owed him for (haha...) and I stumble across another reminder about the scholarship drive for Brian's cousin who passed away earlier this year.

And it hit me.

Yes, flow is about paying the people who you owe...whose goods and services you used...and feeling GOOD about it. But flow is also about GIVING JUST TO GIVE. Doesn't seem like it would be such a stretch for a former scholarship fundraiser, but it took me aback.

Here we had been in this mindset of scarcity all these months...closely guarding what was "ours"....but where was the giving? Where was the room for abundance to flow into our lives?

Needless to say I made a gift, shed a tear of gratitude that I'm alive and able to make that gift, and then said a little thank you to Colton and the Universe.

I love the opportunity to grow and I'm so abundantly appreciative that it seems to be happening to me so much lately. It's amazing what happens in your life when you make room...

Wishing you abundance and flow!


Click here to remember Colton.