WEBVTT

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Entry 11, stuck in the slush. I start today's

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entry with a story from my own life that occurred

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on March 15th, just days after I posted my last

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entry on the power of powerlessness. I share

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this to demonstrate and further be an example

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of what it means to be a sovereign soul and walk,

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or in this case, ski the path of the sovereign

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soul. I share this experience with you all, so...

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And we may all learn and laugh, as I have already.

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A bit of background. I've been a snow skier since

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I was eight years old. And in all that time,

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I've taken my share of spills, but never truly

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injured myself. Now, as I've gotten older, I

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no longer look for the double black diamonds.

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Instead, I enjoy the easier runs that are symbolized

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on the slopes by the blue squares or green circles.

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Now, that being said, a dear friend and I went

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skiing in New York for the day before the season

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ended. Get some spring skiing in before the season

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was over. And also a few days before a scheduled

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golf trip to Hilton Head that had been planned

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for months. It was a beautiful day and the weather

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was great. 35 to 40 degrees. Just perfect for

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a final day of spring skiing. I was on my third

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rundown. approximately 200 to 300 yards from

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the ski lift, coming down like an intermediate

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beginner run. All of a sudden, my skis hit some

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slushy snow and immediately they stopped while

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I continued to powerlessly go down the hill,

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head first, landing on my right shoulder. I immediately

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knew the impact had caused something serious

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to happen and that my shoulder was not really

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in socket as it should be. So I stood up, I grabbed

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my shoulder, and I just put it back into socket.

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Not fun. Anyone who skis knows how bad of a fall

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it was when people riding up on the chairlift

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call out to you, you okay? And... Based on the

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number of people that call out to you, you get

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an idea of how bad the fall looked. I was asked

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by four sets of people on the chairlift, a very

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high score, considering that I was that close

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to the chairlift itself. I continued to get my

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skis back on and skied down the lift, letting

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my buddy know, man, I'm done for the day. Back

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in the room, I was processing what had happened

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and the possible outcomes, including surgery,

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time for rehabilitation, and the impact that

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this impact would have on my golf trip that I

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would no longer be golfing on, as well as the

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whole summer of fun activities that I had been

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looking forward to and planning for the whole

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cold winter that we were just getting through.

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I also, and most importantly, immediately began

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being open to the what and the why that this

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happened. and what I would gain and how I would

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grow as a person as a result. No poor me narrative.

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I mean, a little bummed, but not willing to give

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that a whole lot of energy, as I just know that

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that is not a productive use of the energy or

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intention. After getting home the next day, I

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put in place, no pun intended, a plan to cover

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the immediate needs of what I know and now knew

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was a separated shoulder, specifically a chromio

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-clavicular joint separation. And thank goodness,

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no total tears in my rotator cuff muscles that

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would have required immediate attention. I further

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moved into the healing by accepting everything

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that may or may not happen over the next two

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to three months as a result of the traumatic

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event and made sure I was good with it and that

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I could just let go of all of my expectations

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prior to the traumatic event and just recalibrate

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my life based on what had happened as a result

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of that event. Immediately, I began to see how

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this event would give me an experience that,

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you know, that I could share with all of you.

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I had a real -time experience that included this

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experience of powerlessness that literally led

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to a separation, not just in my shoulder, but

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a separation from all the events I thought, again,

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were going to happen and I had to face now being

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powerless over happening. How could this all

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be a coincidence? Of course it was not. I went

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ahead and did everything I was called to do from

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my shoulder, and I was able to go on the golf

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trip as a spectator. I was able to drive the

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cart from my buddy and watch my two sons play

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golf, as well as participate in all the other

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shenanigans that go along with a golf trip. I

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was separated from playing the game of golf,

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but not from participating and witnessing the

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people that I loved from enjoying it. or in some

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cases being frustrated by it. I am 57 years in

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this body and I'm very active. You know, yet

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the lessons of this separation brought about

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by this experience of powerlessness were very

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profound. Because I was not focusing on playing

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golf, which to be quite honest, I play quite

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poorly, I was able to focus on the ones I love

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playing golf, which... I am quite good at. And

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as the beautiful order would have it, on the

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first day, my dear friend Jimmy, he shot one

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of the best rounds of his life and I was blessed

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to be a part of it, to witness it, to cheer him

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on and celebrate his beautiful moment fully.

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Now this is something I will never forget and

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something I would have never been present for

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if I had not been separated from playing golf.

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It showed me that as life goes on, my body inevitably

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will separate me from doing certain things the

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way I used to. And not only is that okay, it's

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a gift. The powerlessness that I do and will

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experience as life goes on over my body's changes

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is an opportunity to celebrate the moments of

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others who are still participating and find a

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new richness in the process of witnessing life.

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witnessing life in a place of complete powerlessness

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over the outcomes of anything, but not seeing

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that as a reason to have fear or a sense of loss

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of what was, but to engage in the mystery and

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the unfolding of the experience now, as it's

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happening all around me, fixating not on what

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I can no longer do or what no longer is, but

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instead walk through the doors now open. to enter

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into what I can do to a greater extent and knowing

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that it will lead to a more rich and fulfilling

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life. Separation does have the ability to bring

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opportunities for growth. You see, we will forever

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be powerlessly separated from one thing, one

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person, one place, or most importantly, one version

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of ourselves. Change spares not a single bond

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from being broken over the eternity of experience,

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because all life changes and transforms. It doesn't

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matter if a part of you sees fit to get stuck

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in the slushy snow of your experience, the rest

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of you will have to keep going. No matter what

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happens as a result of that process, be grateful.

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Get up. Get yourself back into place. continue

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down the hill and on to the next run in your

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life. Be grateful for what separation brought

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about by the events in your life even though

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they include traumatic events at times on one

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level or another and many times on many levels.

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Traumatic events are not the enemy any more than

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rain being wet is. It's all just a part of the

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experience. It's not specific to you or us. It's

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just a part of creation and life in general.

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Until next time, I am Sovereign Soul.