Life is Messy: A rough landing at Chartres Cathedral

I'm home now from a 10-day Pilgrimage/adventure/getaway with Nick to Chartres and Paris, France. (Gratitude and shout out to Natalie for her beautiful blog last week, Embrace Your Journey to Inner Light.) This trip had everything! It was a culmination of a year of planning and preparing, so I was a bit surprised when I arrived and wondered, "What am I doing here?"

My vision for this trip was to arrive at Chartres Cathedral where one of the world's largest, oldest, and most renowned labyrinths lies, be completely inspired and filled with joy, and knowing EXACTLY why I was there. But guess what...

I was a mess.

I was so tired. It was cold and rainy and there was construction and I couldn't walk around the space and I didn't know how to get in or where to get in and the door was weird and I don't speak French and it just looked like every other cathedral I've been in and WHAT AM I DOING HERE?

I almost felt panicked! My heart and my throat burned like they were breaking open and I just cried. It felt like the messiest landing ever. Had I made a mistake?

As I approached the labyrinth I began to become more calm. At least this I knew how to do. I was in my element. I walked and relaxed and breathed and reminded myself to just stay open to what comes. It's been a long journey, and I can trust it was for a reason. Slowly, I returned to myself. Slowly, I found my way to my inner calm as I wound my way to the center of the labyrinth.

By the time I arrived at the center, I wasn't so messy anymore. I felt lighter. Nothing in the outside world had changed. I just reclaimed my inner peace.

So perhaps you need to hear this today too because

life is messy.

people are messy.

bodies are messy.

minds are messy.

history is messy.

careers are messy.

elections are messy.

Your Sacred Center is not.

May you wind your way to your sacred interior, and may you enjoy the peace that exists amid the mess, today and everyday.

Much love