There are some things that just carry energy with them…sometimes, that energy is silent and other times it is loud.  One of my favorite things that I get my energy from is the ocean…it is calm and soft some days and others it is loud and veracious.  It can make its presence known with trickles of water or it can crash waves that sound like thunder.

Our “arrows” are like that, too.

Some whisper ever faintly and some scream so loud you can’t hear anything else.

But our hearts don’t lie and neither do our arrows.

They point us in the direction we are meant to head, even though we might have no idea how to get there, who we will take with us, or why it even matters.

There are always those moments when we might be minding our own business and then something seems to appear, almost out of nowhere and yet it is enough to trigger an awareness to it.  But we brush it aside.  We call it a fluke.  We pretend it was meant for someone else.  We hide if we can.

Who hasn’t missed a chance once in their lifetime, right?

But what about the times when life doesn’t just shyly motion to us, but when it slaps us across the face, knocks us to our knees, and everything we once knew to be true feels like a lie?

The other night, I was talking with a very dear friend, and as we discussed the roads we each took to get to where we are now..roads that included detours, roadblocks, wrong turns, and even getting a little lost from time to time, we always believed in the direction we knew we needed to be going.  It might not have looked like much with the constant wandering, incoherent speech, and endless sleepless nights, and yet we found ourselves back on the same road once again.  Our paths had crossed a few times in the past and without warning, we seemed so close yet so far from one another.  At times, it felt like we were fighting against the current and the waves kept knocking us back to the shore or seemed to be pulling us further out to sea.

“Following your arrow” is just like “listening to your heart” and no matter how distant you feel from where you really need to be, it will always beckon to you, like the illumination you see on the cliff where the lighthouse stands.  It is there — grounded by stability and security that never wavers, even in the most severest of storms or the quietest of nights.

It calls you home.

It may not be so easy to recognize at first, but without incident, you feel it.  It’s natural, easy, and comfortable. It is where you have belonged all along.

Some of you may be wondering:

“How do I find my arrow?”

“How will I know it’s my arrow?”

“What do I do with it when I find it?”

“Then what?”

Your calling comes in many shapes and sizes.  It may look like something you might have seen before and yet it may also be totally unrecognizable too.  It may make perfect sense when looking back on past moments when your arrow was trying to get your attention or it may completely dumbfounded you with its appearance, its message, and even its timing.

But with all the chaos of trying to process what you think is rational and logical, it’s time to just let go of the craziness and just let our soul be our guide.  Allow our hearts to say everything we have been afraid to say, letting it steer us in the direction we knows is true and absolute.

Before any of us feels comfortable taking on such a journey (if we ever find the courage to do so), we need to get ready for it by “packing the car” and “getting our map” and even “getting time off of work” — just in case.

But our “arrow” never comes when we are ready and waiting for it…it comes when it needs to.

Everything we have ever wanted to be is held in the moment we choose to believe in it — regardless of what people think, how we get there, or why it even matters.

The energy we harness in that moment stirs our emotions and confides in us the “wink” it has treasured for a long time.  It moves us to take the first step and then that momentum grows into ten more steps and before too long, we cannot imagine being anywhere else.

Some days, we may feel like the tide barely moves and we seem to not be moving in any direction, let alone the right one.  Other days, we may wonder if the “splash” we make was even noticed, only to hear days later that more people felt it than we ever imagined.  Getting caught up in the riptide and undertow may feel like we are drowning so we flail about, only to notice an outstretched hand reaching for us.

No matter what direction your arrow points, let it show you the journey you need to take.  Let the energy of those moments carry you through so that you can find peace and joy.  Allow the pulling back of the arrow propel you forward towards the greatest “ride” you could have ever imagined.  Throw your hands up and love every single second.  

Michelle A. Homme 2016 ©