When she first drove up the steep drive for this possible rental, Ramona got a really good feeling about this place. Turned her head, she viewed the female house owner walking down a narrow path in the pachysandra, straw hat on her head, sunlit from behind.  Now that apartment has been her chosen dwelling for more than a decade.

The rental space the rear of the house; that scenic path she first saw leads to the entry. This autumn, the land people decided to upgrade the house appearance and wanted to have a landscaper create paths on both sides of the house– around to the right and then also widen the path to the apartment. This contract had a design in mind to make paths nearly a yard wide, creating layers of various size stones, and edging it with large stones.

Ramona felt afraid of this change. The house has no outdoor lighting near the path and at night is very dark. Living here she keeps a key chain flashlight on her car key and uses it for any evening arrivals home. As she treads the mulched way to her entry, she trusts the surface underfoot: solid and even.  Edged only with plants there is no hazard if she steps stray off the edges.

At first as she thought about the “upgrade,” she noticed the fear she felt. She saw many features with potential danger for tripping.  In conversation with the landlord she raised concern about the hazards in a calm and balanced way. She did not want to push against this, did not want the fear to dominate or distract her.  On what did she wan to focus?

She appreciated how much she enjoys living in this place. She reminded herself that Well being Abounds. She reviewed the many instances when she has been protected from possible threats, when Good has flowed to her in amazing ways. Sometimes she would feel a spike of fear, and she kept up her inner work.

As it happens, the path project was delayed for a couple of months. Time passed and she settled into trusting that she would be fine with whatever happened.

The day came when the landscaper was available and arrived to do the paths. The man began doing work on the right side, not the apartment side. During the second day of work, the contractor informed Ramona that he had used all the purchased materials and would not be changing her path at all. Thrilled, she realized that her focus had paid off. She loved knowing that even though she began in fear and felt blips of it periodically, the overall practice of settling into knowing Well Being Abounds does affect the world of “substance and form”.  She had been protected! Hee Haw!

Do you have stories of how your intentions paid off for you? Please write to jpearl@streamofyes.com. Sharing these accounts builds momentum for all of us

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