Leap of Faith

Leap of Faith. What a wonderful phrase!  Taking a chance. Following your dreams. Trusting your instincts. Trying something out of the ordinary, because you have faith that it’s the “right” thing to do. 

Did you ever wonder what happens to people after they leap? From personal experience I can say that they don’t always nail their landings!

I recently took a huge leap. In a period of four weeks, I sold my townhome and almost everything I owned and drove with my older daughter to New Mexico where I could be closer to family and avoid Minnesota’s bitter cold winters.

I was so excited about this leap. So many things were all falling into place for me…until I landed with a thud!

My leap exhausted me physically and emotionally. The wind was knocked out of me by unexpected grieving of what I’d left behind. Even though I knew my leap was a wonderful decision, I felt disoriented, anxious, and off balance.

I was encouraged to pick myself up as quickly as possible, but I couldn’t.  My body insisted that I be still, and as frustrating as that was for me, and for those around me, it gave me no choice. So I rested…a lot. 

I felt irresponsible when I decided to reschedule a project I assumed had to get done on a specific timeline, but when I did, my colleagues cheered.

I took long naps that made me worry that I might slip down a dark hole if I didn’t get up and move.  Instead, for me, these quiet hours were unexpected gifts that gave me time to heal and return to myself. 

When I did, I remembered why I took a chance, followed my dreams, trusted my instincts, and leaped. I can now look forward to the adventures of exploring the extraordinary place where I have landed and discovering the treasures that are waiting for me.