Spiritual Rotor-Rooter

Recently, I connected with a dear friend of mine, who is also a coach.  I cherish our relationship so much, because it is so rich, and we make space for whatever is bubbling up for us at the time.  We have the most beautiful exchanges of healing and we’ve grown together as friends, coaches and also on our individual journey.  We also know that spiritual growth does come with growing pains.  These pains are not linear, and sometimes repeat themselves. I also have come to know that spiritual growth is inevitable no matter what your belief system or religion is, and sometimes amnesia sets in, and we are oblivious to what is happening. It is part of our human experience and life shows up as our teacher.  We just have to be willing to explore. 

In our various conversations my friend and I have taken turns being the nurturer and being the nurtured, a coaching exchange if you will.  It always blows my mind how when each of us needs nurturing, there is a sense of guilt at the end of the session.  Somehow, we feel that we should be able to move through our own emotions and “stuff” without anyone’s help. We have often reflected and asked why we couldn’t get to the answer on our own because we do indeed have all of the answers within ourselves.

 I know there have been times when I have felt that my well was dry, and I just couldn’t connect or make sense of anything.  It feels like walking through a spiritual or emotional desert, and not knowing if I would ever have another sip of water.  There are times when I have been able to sit with the emotions of emptiness and confusion and gotten through.  Then there have been the times when I have sought out the help of a friend who relates, or even a coach to help me through.  I have always been glad that I did.

There is nothing like having an epiphany and finding ourselves back on track with deeper wisdom than we had before.  We laughed through tears this last time we had one of those conversations. My friend said, “I guess I just needed a rotor-rooter, a spiritual plumber!” I loved this description, and it resonates with me at a deep level. 

Sometimes we get clogged and can’t find our flow.  Yet we are not alone. We can always find our way, and sometimes this means reaching out for help from a trusted and non-judgmental source.  The non-judgmental part is critical.  I can remember reaching out to people who could not relate early on my journey.  This was like going to the hardware store for milk, I walked away feeling like I had purple skin with green dots. I felt even less normal for having a desire to go deeper.

A decade and half later, I see the bigger picture. We are all on our personal journey with life, and there is no one size fits all. Also, those who are less experienced, don’t necessarily understand what we are going through, nor do they want to (and there is nothing wrong with that- we show up when we are ready).  This is no reason to give up, it just means we keep seeking.  It is a journey, and you are worth it!