Laugh if you must: my spiritual “aha” this week came from an online house-for-sale posting in my neighborhood. No, I’m not in the real estate market; the post caught my eye because something about the house looked vaguely familiar. Then, as I read the address, it hit me: I used to live there.
But oh, what a few changes can do to the look and feel of a place! Thanks to the numerous photos included in the post, I could see that the house had received extensive renovations since I had, for a short time, called it home. Clearly it had changed ownership, perhaps multiple times. Over the years, the owners had installed new roofing, siding, and yard treatments– and that was just the exterior. The inside had also been completely updated, from floor to ceiling and throughout every room. The transformation that had taken place at this address was nothing short of miraculous.
Yet, what really changed here? The consciousness. Someone had made the decision to invest time, thought, money, and talent to improve this residence, bringing in more light, making it structurally more sound and visually more appealing, and ultimately, making it more valuable in market terms.
I thought about the process involved. This was more than just a few coats of paint and new kitchen counters; it was a complete overhaul. It most likely didn’t happen all at once, but in stages. It probably included some “oops” moments along the way, maybe even had some moments of the owner thinking, “I had something different in mind.” It probably required more time, talent and money than originally planned. And, the finished product — nice as it is — likely will require further maintenance and repairs over time in order to remain functional, comfortable, appealing, and valuable.
Perhaps we too are like this house. Maybe our “owner” (guess Who?) created the blueprint for our lives in such a way that to make true progress on our spiritual journey would require paying attention to what needed an overhaul and becoming willing to make the investment of our resources to achieve that transformation. Our journeys are incremental, and probably involve a lot more effort than we’d expected (as well as numerous stumbles along the way). Even the finished product – our life — may look different than what we’d originally planned– and it’s not really even the finished product. Still, if we have been diligent, sincere, and willing, the improvements we have made will have resulted in more soundness of character, more appealing (magnetic) energy, and more joy expressed in the world.
Unlike the house, however, our market value is infinite.
Blessings,
Margery