What is the World Trying to Tell You & Are You Listening?
Written by Katie Tallo.
Yesterday, I took a walk with a friend who lost her baby a few days before he was due. Later in the day, another friend called from Iraq to say he’d been in a terrible hotel fire and lost eight close friends. Then, in the evening, another friend called to tell me she had cancer.
This was what my world gave me yesterday. This was what their world gave them. I don’t have words to describe how much my heart goes out to them. I’m not sure what you say when worlds change because a heart stops beating, a fire is sparked or a diagnosis is made.
I have to wonder what the world was trying to tell me yesterday. Have I not been hearing something? Is it random? Is it just life? Am I listening closely enough?
At first, my heart heard this message.
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Life is short, sometimes too short.
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Life is fragile.
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Life can be hard, even cruel.
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Life can be frightening.
And then, my heart opened and listened more closely and I heard a new one.
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Life is beautiful.
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Life is worth embracing to the fullest.
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Life is about love.
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Life is best shared.
I am grateful I was able to be there for my friends. Yesterday, the world was not telling me about tragedy or pity – it was telling me about friendship and love. It was asking me to listen to the myriad ways that friendships permeate my soul, give my life purpose, and have deepened with time. The world was drawing my attention to what we share together – this planet, this life, this universe.
To my friends, I hope love embraces you, joy and serenity fill your heart, laughter returns.
What is your world trying to tell you today and are you listening?
Photo by WoodleyWonderWorks.
42 Responses to “What is the World Trying to Tell You & Are You Listening?”
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You took such a beautiful perspective on your day. In early April I had a similar experience. My dad’s cancer returned, another friend told me she has cancer (she is not yet 40) and my grandfather had a stroke. So much in such a short period of time and yet, I found myself seeing the beauty of the human spirit, the gift that each of these people share with those around them, and seeing a shift in my own perspective allowing me to let go.
I’m sorry to hear about your losses and thank you for sharing your similar experience of finding beauty and gifts in shifting your perspective. This is the best way I know to support my friends — send them positive energy.
Such a beautiful post for your beautiful blog. The breeze at my window tells me it’s time to go pick fresh raspberries from the garden and enjoy some time on the patio. I’m heeding that advice!
.-= Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..How CommentLuv Stole My Heart From Disqus =-.
Embracing the moment is what it’s all about Jean. Hey, bring over some of those raspberries, will you?
Katie,
I”m so sorry to hear about all the sad events in your friends’ lives. But, you have put the right prospective on it – it’s about friendships and being there when they need you – and someday when you need them.
I love the new look of the blog too!! It is eye candy~!
Thanks Angela. Friendships are so precious and I value them today in a new way.
Katie, what a hard day for your friends. I am so sorry
– and thank you for putting it in your words and sharing it in your special way. Really, sometimes life makes no sense. I hope they have much better days ahead.
.-= Farnoosh´s last blog ..A Transfer of Passion- How I fell in Love with French =-.
What a beautiful post Katie, thanks for sharing and I hope all of this positive energy you ignite in others comes right back at you! Your post reminded me of a poem I wrote, one I have shared with you quite some time ago but thought I would share it now with the your fellow momentum gatherers. xo!
My body is my temple, my sanctuary, my haven
My spirit is my goddess, my divinity, my radiance
My mind is my innocence, my intuitiveness, my awareness
My energy is my light, my vigor, my power
My body is my prey, my victim, my sufferer
My spirit is my fear, my loneliness, my gloom
My mind is my anger, my anxiety, my prison
My energy, is my darkness, my shadows, my poison
All my parts make me whole
My thoughts, my actions, my intentions today determine my tomorrow
Love and honesty will guide me on my path, to my dreams, to my destiny
Dawna, this is a truly beautiful poem. It brought a tear to my eye. Thank you so much for sharing it. I love how you embrace all that you are and set your intentions on love. Simply divine. xo
Katie that was a beautiful post. When you loose someone you realize that you have lost all chance of telling them how much you love them – of making things right. They are gone and only memory and sometimes regrets remain.
If death of loved ones has taught me anything it is to appreciate every moment you have with the people you love and make your time with them very special.
Thanks for sharing.
.-= Marion Anderson´s last blog ..Self confident people don’t worry about what you think of them =-.
Marion, I think that’s what the world was reminding me to do. Wake up to what I have, right here, today and make this day special. Sounds like you have been there and are already listening.
my mind was just pondering the duality in the world right now – the amazingness and the hellaciousness – and then I came over to Momentum Gathering and first noticed your lovely new look with the big purple flower – then read this post.
I am sorry to hear about your friend who lost her unborn baby and your other friend who lost 8 beloveds in the fire. although I don’t know them, I will keep them wrapped up in my prayers as I can only barely comprehend their pain. It can be challenging to understand the messages life tells us an we can easily misunderstand them as fear, fragile life, cruel life when really it is saying ‘Life is worth embracing to the fullest” it’s about “about friendship and love”
Thank you for sharing this post and illustrating how we can choose to interpret life.
.-= Aileen´s last blog ..It’s Mid-July- Are You Experiencing Summer =-.
Aileen, I love that you mention choice. I also love that you recognize the power of sending prayers out into the universe. Collective thought is very powerful. It can heal. Thank you so much for opening your lovely heart to us.
Dear Katie. That is such a profound post and beautiful heartfelt writing. I’ve been where you are. Still am here. An accident that changed lives and is still changing them. What I learnt is that no matter what happens, its love that binds us together, love that see us through. Moments of grave difficulty make one realize that we give, give naturally, completely, honestly. Give for nothing in return except to lessen the pain of a loved one. Thats when we feel true love. It is hard, overwhelming but when we change our energy to give, it becomes better. God bless your friends, with health, peace and recovery.
Uzma, your words are deeply moving and your definition of love is simply beautiful. Thank you for the blessings for my friends.
I wish for you peace and recovery also.
Thank you for your warm words and for the blessing of peace and recovery. Means a lot.
.-= Uzma´s last blog ..Finding a candle- solutions come from action and calm =-.
Katie,
I am sorry, life can be hard sometimes. I know misery always travels in pair, and I have been there myself so I know it can be tough. You took better route to be there for your friends, which was probably they needed right now.
By the way, love the new look here!
Thank you Preeti. It was heartwarming to be asked for help.
Gosh this is very strange – I left you a long message here hours ago. Very strange. Maybe I am losing my mind.
No matter, I will leave it again to tell you that I wish your friends better days and that they will be strong enough to pull through. And during these times, cliche as it may be, there is NOTHING like the presence of a friend in one’s life – and I do believe that would be yourself, Katie! Hope this message makes it through!!!
No worries, I found it in my spam filter for some reason. Thank you for the heart felt comments as always Farnoosh.
The day I lost my Dad, many years ago now, my best friend came to my home and asked what could she do to help. My answer came from the instinct my pain gave to me that day ~ just be here; that’s all the help I need.
Katie, that’s where you are now, in being there for your friends. Know that your being there for them is meaning more to them than words can ever say…just as we are all here, at your website; just being here for you when you feel down.
Did you know that shades of purple are regarded as spiritual colours? A very apt, and beautiful change, to your site.
Take care, Katie.
.-= Joanne´s last blog ..Skeletons in the Cupboard =-.
Hi Joanne, I appreciate your perspective on friendship and am so glad you had someone when you lost your Dad. I do feel that I have a community I can reach out to — to express whatever is on my mind, in the hopes that it helps you, me and mostly my friends.
I’ve always loved purples – regal, calming, creative and now spiritual. How lovely. xo
Beautiful post and I love the new logo.
Thank you Wendy. I feel good in my new skin.
@Dawna oh my how beautiful I had to read it twice to absorb it all
@Katie Oh baby doll! Be strong for your friends but be strong enough to grieve on your own and with them. What Laura said struck me as true about just being there. My mom says that about going through cancer everyone wanted to DO something and sometimes she just needed them to BE and their well of peace (maybe not understanding) but peace of heart to be there for her…just be…there….breathing and present.
Being a fixer myself that is a big learning curve for me.
I truly hope you and yours peace and healing and thank you for being strong enough to share this with us.
.-= Meg Boone´s last blog ..New blogging schedule =-.
Thanks for your loving comments Meg. Your mom’s right. They just want you to be there. Thank you for the peaceful, healing wishes.
What a lousy day, the kind that makes you want to go back to bed and get up again in another place. I am sorry to hear of all your terrible news.
What is amazing is the perspective you have taken on the whole thing. Bravo to you for trying to find any kind of goodness in the day and it sounds as if you have succeeded. Thanks for a great post!
I think it might be the only way to react. Otherwise, you don’t end up giving your friends what they’re looking for, which is really just love, hope and kindness. That’s all they want. It’s all anyone wants. Thanks for your thoughtful comment and kind words.
Lovely!!! So true.. And Katie, you have such a wonderful way of portraying the most poignant pictures with senstivity and subtlety. Looking for goodness and happiness can be tough but perspective can make all the difference. And you have the right one in the right place:-)
Thank you so much, Prerna, for your kind appreciation. I think when things come to a head, we just have to decide to process them in the most positive way we can.
Timely question Katie. Synchronicity even. Very much so in the last week my intuition has been telling me to settle down. Settle down my thoughts and think far less. Settle down my expectations and allow more to happen, to come to me. Settle down with myself and who I am. Be kind and happy with myself. And, yes, settle down in love too. Finally I think I heard what the Universe has been trying to tell me. Only I wouldn’t listen!
Hi John, sounds like you’ve been getting some pretty powerful messages and are ready to listen. Well done. Great seeing you here. Cheers! And best of luck on your journey of settling down.
Katie,
That is a short sweet post and yet it goes deep into the human soul and tells us how a change in one’s thinking can transform even tragedy into a life appreciating event.
Thank you, Abubakar. I really appreciate the kind words.
Katie, your words are beautiful and contain such wisdom. Thank you for sharing. Reading what you have to say helps me to keep things in perspective. I love the new look too
Hey Alison, I’m so glad you found something that gives you perspective in this post. We can all use little doses of that once in a while. I love the new look too. Thanks to Chloe for that.
Hey Katie – lovely sensitive post. Like you, I seem to have been caught up in death and sickness lately, but you know that is part of life. Just the other day I talked to my boss about the passing of her father. Her family flew from all parts of the globe to be with him prior to his death and those who couldn’t make it (through pregnancy) skyped him daily. I made the point to her that death is not all sadness. There is the huge coming together of family, the memories, the connectedness, the being at one with each other. And when that happens, even death becomes a joy.
When you consider the number of people who die alone, then dying with a loving family around you must be amazingly comforting.
Maria, I’m certain your advice to your boss resonated with her and likely comforted her. You are so right about having love and family around, even in death, or perhaps, especially in death. Joy and sadness are so inextricably intermingled. Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Sometimes, being there for friends is the most important thing a person can do. It’s often not about giving them answers or advice; rather the simple communication that there is a warm, understanding spirit nearby. Compassion and empathy, together with kindness and respect, are the great gifts we can give each other. We don’t need to be told what to do, but we do occasionally need to be able to fall in a soft place. And if we can offer our friends and life companions that soft place, we have done something grand.
Wonderful post. Your friends are going through a lot, but they will come out stronger, not in small part because they have you.
Diana, I think you’ve nailed it. Being a kind cushion for our friends is a great gift. I feel blessed with good friends who count on me to listen and be there for them. I know they need it. Thank you Diana for your lovely words.