"Trust the Vibration"

When raising teenagers, moments of true “connection” can be as elusive as a good stock tip. However, occasionally, when Jupiter aligns with Mars, peace guides the planets and parents and hormone-raged offspring have meaningful dialogue.

That happened recently for my seventh-grade daughter and I. Over dinner at our favorite neighborhood bistro my beautiful darling blurts out: “Dad, I really believe in karma. You know, that stuff you’re always talking about. What you throw out there comes bouncing back at you.”

I almost dropped my fork, choked on my wine and fell from my chair. Had there been an epiphany? “Ya know sweetie, “ I suggested after gathering my wits. “I hope you never forget what you just said, because it can be a powerful, and productive, force in your life if you allow it.”

Then my mind jumped to a moment where what I “threw out there” – fear - changed my life forever. I shared it with my daughter.

It was my senior year in high school. Many schools were recruiting me to play football and baseball. No school more than the University of Arizona. It was a perfect setting for me. But I was a little fearful of moving far away from my home, Kansas City. I also had a high school girlfriend attending Mizzou, which also offered me a scholarship. But the Tigers’ recruitment was lukewarm. Arizona’s was earnest and intense. Operating too much from fear – far from home and honey – I choose Missouri. A few days later, a poke to the eye in a high-school basketball game led to crashing to the floor, fracturing my skull and other head injuries. My competitive athletic career was over.

“Dad, you were projecting fear and look what happened!” Honored to even be having a conversation like this I acknowledged. “You’re right. I guess the lesson here is to trust your intuition. Emerson calls it the ‘vibration of the iron string within.’ When you don’t, it usually comes back to bite you in the butt.”

Whenever presenting Run Daylight I encourage others to “not let fear get in the way of your dreams, instead remember courage is the soul of your dreams.”

This week, at home, work and community, put fear aside and allow wonderment to win, okay? There are no guarantees. I understand that. However operating from fear rarely works unless you’re running for your life. It tends to backfire when you’re running from a life intuition is calling you to explore.