Dec24/Jan25 Aspire Magazine FULL Issue | Page 56

There were times I sensed people at the market or gas station who were on a hairtrigger , just waiting for someone to say the wrong thing . I would worry then about showing up fully . It could be dangerous .

When I began to feel compressed and restricted , even sacrificial , my logical left brain tried to make me feel better by saying , “ But here you can expand your work — up the East Coast , into Europe , even back to the Midwest .”

Immediately , my inner voice said , “ It ’ s not about expansion , it ’ s about exposure ! You don ’ t have to project yourself out into more of the world , just let people see you . Don ’ t protect yourself or hide , don ’ t volunteer your knowledge if you sense it won ’ t fit the person , just be transparent .” The voice continued , “ Just become a clear space in the field of Florida . If people match your vibration , they ’ ll see you and find you and if they aren ’ t , you ’ ll be relatively invisible .

One morning , I got up and found a note from the police taped to my front door , cautioning me about the danger of leaving my garage door open . My conservative neighbor , who was somehow vigilant at midnight , had called to report it .

The police came into my house through my utility room , looked in my bedroom , saw that I was sound asleep , didn ’ t wake me , left , and locked the doors behind them . When my neighbor told me what had happened , I was shocked . Yes , I ’ d allowed myself to be exposed and had been invaded — but by protective forces . Quite the testament to transparency !

I learned that this move was indeed a great lesson in love . The “ old ” people I counted as friends were not at all unconscious inside , they were quite alive and open-minded .

When I didn ’ t push myself toward people and just let them see me , it seemed that my being — that part of me occupying “ liminal space ”— was doing much of the work of creating safety , compassion , and space for important insights to occur .