Who are you listening to, who’s leading you?

Many of us seem to notice children when they’re near, even if we’re walking along a crowded sidewalk or getting on an elevator, at least I do. On rare occasions, these sightings are memorable, as was the case yesterday when I spotted a cherub surveying her surroundings over her Daddy’s shoulder as her parents strolled down the crowded downtown sidewalk, about 50 feet ahead of me.

The bright-eyed beauty couldn’t have been more than two years old; she had a few fingers in her mouth as she digested everything and everyone in sight. Then she caught my eye. I smiled broadly and waved hello. She stared back, pensively. I expected a toothless grin. But no, I was going to have to settle for an inquisitive stare. 

Walking at a faster pace than the young family, I was soon within a few feet of her. Aha! Finally, she gave me her toothless grin–and more. The expression on her little face curiously reflected surprise. In fact, it almost appeared that she recognized me. Within seconds, my suspicions were confirmed. 

Baby Girl pulled her fingers from her mouth, pulled her torso slightly from her Dad’s, looked at me very intently, then very deliberately, she touched her heart. As I walked by, her eyes followed me and her little fingers continued to speak to me, as she patted her heart, patted her heart, and patted her heart until I was out of sight.

The brief encounter completely transformed my short walk to my friend Janet’s home. The most I had expected of the day was that, while enjoying the warm day, Janet and I would find the definitive sofa for my new place. Never had I anticipated something as powerful as the silent meeting that spoke volumes.  

What if everyone began each day like that? What if, before we launched into the day, anticipating and bracing ourselves for the Earth drama, the distracting props, price tags, bills and bad actors, we crossed paths with a soul who connected with us on a soul-level, reminding us that we are more than bodies; we are, in the image of our Creator, Unconditional Love. More than that, they tell us–in whatever way they can–that we touch their very hearts. Would that give us a different perspective on Life, and set a more positive tone for the day?

That’s certainly what that encounter did for me. I saw no ugly sofas yesterday–OK, maybe a couple. But overall, most things looked amazing after communing with that little angel.

Finally, after Janet stopped instigating pure confusion by wandering into one showroom after another, discovering one beautiful sofa after another, I settled on one. It was lovely; because of the economy, the price was incredible. But I didn’t absolutely love it. The one I really, really wanted was a floor sample that already had been sold. To flip my frowny face, I reminded myself: If the sofa was mine, it would have been available.

Hoping that the sofa was in stock somewhere in world, I returned home and combed  the Internet for it. That’s what I was doing when another angel, my own little girl, taught me the second lesson of the day about listening to the silence:

Hearing the lack of enthusiasm in my voice about my sofa choice, Maiysha told me what I would have told her: Don’t settle. We both agreed that my spectacular new place deserved a sofa that was just as spectacular. Then my baby girl, who is wise beyond her years, volleyed another bit of her mother’s oft-repeated guidance: Listen to the silence, instead of trying to control a situation with your head.

“I believe that rooms have a life of their own; the space is alive,” she said. “The room will tell you what color it wants to be, and what furniture would best suit that space. Go into the room and listen for your guidance.”

It sounded like a task better suited for a room whisperer than a loud mouth, but I was willing to try. This morning Janet met me, and we walked over to the new building. We looked at the newly installed hardwood flooring and listened to the rooms–especially the living room, where the new sofa would be.

One of the first things I discovered was that the energy and dark color of the sofa that I had wanted so badly was not right for that room–affirming that the reason it wasn’t available was because it wasn’t supposed to be. I instantly lost the desire to search for it elsewhere.

I should mention that the reason I was moving to this fabulous place was because, although I believed that I had been ready months earlier, I was content to be still. I trusted that Spirit would lead me to my perfect home at the most perfect time. It has never failed me before. Each home has been consistently better than the last–even when I’ve been in a holding pattern, as I have for the past ten months–and always better than the home my brain had envisioned.

As we left the building, I thought about the mound of writing I had to finish today, including this post. But instead of heading home, I was compelled to walk to a nearby department store. It was en route to Janet’s building, so she decided to go shopping with me. Again.

After nearly an hour of walking in and out of showrooms, we were both discouraged–and I was confused. Was it my heart or my head that had directed me to go to the store? “I don’t see a thing in here that the room asked for,” I complained.

Janet nodded disgustedly. Hungry and tired, we decided to head toward one of the eateries in the store, relax, then head back to our respective homes. I can’t recall in what direction we turned; but suddenly, we stumbled into one sofa after another that was right for the space and my budget. We hadn’t seen The One, but we were infused with enough encouragement and energy to keep looking. If it was there, I trusted that we would be led directly to it.

Moments later, there it was: a gorgeous, curvaceous, downright sexy little number, wearing white leather. She was sitting on a main aisle, nonchalantly waiting for someone to recognize that she was a class act. The girl wasn’t even wearing a price tag–probably thought it was way too tacky. Or maybe Spirit was looking out for me. If everyone passing that aisle had realized how much the price had been reduced, that sofa probably would have been out of stock when I walked by.

It was not the style, color or covering I’d had in mind when I began my sofa search. Honestly, had I seen it yesterday, I probably would have kept walking. But then, my brain was leading, which is why I had tentatively but unenthusiastically committed to the lovely but undesirable sofa in the other store.

However, after consulting the room this morning, after allowing myself to listen and trusting Spirit to lead the search, I got a much more exciting result: a tap, tap, tapping in my heart that revealed that I had made a real connection. Now I have a spectacular piece of furniture that powerfully complements the light, peaceful, healing energy of my new home. Continuing to listen, getting myself out of the way and allowing Spirit to lead promises to give me a more joyful experience in this home than I’ve had anywhere else. (For those of you who’ve been counting since Earth Is the Mother of All Drama Queens, it’s Home #28.)

Spirit makes no mistakes and will lead you nowhere that is not for your highest good. Who are you listening to? Who’s leading you?