Driving Our Own Bus Called “Life”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Kerry Nelson Selman, author of the new Crystal Resonance.

Recently, as I was meeting and greeting before a workshop, I was asked if I always feel as well as I seemed—”You always beam, it’s amazing.” I was reminded just how important it was for each of us to embrace self-responsibility, to be true to ourselves, to be aware that we bring all that we are to any relationship or meeting with another.

We drive the bus called “Life.” A bus that is out of control, at best, is no fun for anyone; a bus that lacks direction ends up lost. It feels so good to accept responsibility, to sit in the driver’s seat: we determine when to stop and how long we stay; we can choose the direct route or the scenic one. We choose if we pick up, and if we pass by; we choose what view to take in; we can struggle on overloaded, and we can stop and throw off the excess baggage.

Does this mean we should never ride as a passenger? Not at all! Others can take us to places unknown, open our eyes to wonders undreamed…and they can take us where we’d rather not be. All that is required is acknowledgement that we have chosen to ride their bus—no guilt, no regrets, no judgment; we can hop off anytime we choose and wish them well. We are stronger and wiser for the experience; we have left a trail of light across another that has served them, too.

So what do I do when I find myself struggling, feeling I’ve been “dropped in it” and starting to spiral? I return to that which I know. I return to the practice I have shared in Crystal Resonance. I acknowledge that I’ve let outside influences throw me off balance, that I’ve let myself hook into the drama of others. It is so easy to allow ourselves to unknowingly move from supporting another to being totally distracted by their world and then hooking into it. One thing I know for sure is that I cannot support another if I get down and dirty with them—I can never help ease another out of the mud hole if I’m standing in it with them—we simply create more mud.

I return to the practice that nurtures, nourishes, and sustains me. I sit within the synergy of my crystal and matching essential oil, essence blend, and meditation practice. I unroll my beloved yoga mat and I breathe. My practices may not be yours, but what matters is that we each honor that which serves us. The “Guru” is within, ever constant, patiently awaiting our return to greet us in the stillness, and help us integrate the wonder of all we have learned. I have played a while in the world of another, and I am grateful to them. I play; I learn; I grow; I teach…and as I teach I learn. I embrace devotion and discipline to my practice and I feel strong again. When I meet and greet another, I am in integrity; I am as fallible as they, but when I shine brightly then I know I reflect to them that which they truly are, and we both feel better for it.

Be however you choose to be…and shine brightly!

Our thanks to Kerry for her guest post! For more from Kerry Nelson Selman, read her article “5 Reasons to Combine Crystals, Oils, and Essences to Facilitate a Life Well Lived.”