The Kindness of Strangers

I was blessed on Friday, April 28th to REALLY learn - more deeply and again - my beliefs about 'not enough', no one will help me, and commitment.

The 28th is the day I was to travel to catch a ferry to Vancouver Island, BC. It was the start of the PTI weekend ( Personal Transformation Intensive ) that Lori Austein and I were co-facilitating. The first weekend of five.

I was ready. Up at 4:30 am to finish packing, I left at 5:30 to catch an 8:20 ferry, the Black Ball Ferry. All was well.

On the road, about half way there, I realized my car was overheating. So I pulled over and waited. Having an old car with lots of miles on it I was not overly concerned. This had happened before, just not in a long time.

As the car cooled and I kept pushing toward Port Angeles and the ferry...it was getting later and later. I began to panic: what to do? You can imagine the number of scenarios I came up with and none of them seemed workable. I was literally in the middle of nowhere. ( How many times in my life had I visited the same space, I thought? )

I HAD TO GET TO THE PTI. I had committed myself to Lori and five other people who were paying for me to be there and co-facilitate their healing. 

At last, with white smoke billowing out the back and white smoke coming out under the hood of the car, I pulled over. The car would not start. No way. No way.

During the next hour I learned, again, about the kindness of strangers. Triple AAA listening kindly and helping me problem solve. The tow company that would pick me, and my car up, deliver us to a rental agency in Port Angeles, 30 miles away and then deliver my car to my super mechanic in Olympia - another 90 miles? The rental agency employee who was so kind after 3 calls, with her calm voice helping me to stay calm. Lori's solid commitment to the PTI participants and her truth about having me there as soon as possible.

I did get to the ferry. I was the last car on the ferry for the 2:00 pm sailing.

I did get to the PTI during dinner, having lovely people wave me into the most beautiful home and setting. Feeling their love and good energy and joy that I had arrived. Feeling welcomed!

Wow. The weekend was so amazing, the participants so brave to jump into their healing work, allowing Lori and I to assist them in resolving trauma that often began before birth.

Kindness. Abundance. Commitment. JOY! 

Think today about the kindness of strangers. About true abundance. About commitment: what are you committed to?

The pictures below are of The Shire, where we stayed for the weekend, at Lake Cowichan, BC.

---