LESSONS LEARNED

I can not believe I am home.  My time in India, Nepal and Bhutan seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.  I wasn't able to blog from the road  (because of web connections) - but I still want to write about the adventure.  So many lessons learned, so many amazing sites seen, so many beautiful people met.  I truly feel blessed.
This trip represented SO much to me.  First, it was a chance to spend a GREAT deal of time with my Mother.  We often reflected on just how many things had to fall into place in order for us to spend this time together.  I had to be able to take six plus weeks away from my "Alaska-life", Mom's health had to be well enough to travel and of course, it would be wrong not to mention that we had to have the finances to do it.  Our karma ripened at just the right time to make this trip possible.
This trip was also a testament to the positive power of social media.  So many of the people we spent time with were friends I had met on FACEBOOK.  Our face-to-face meetings were more joyful than I ever could have imagined.
Many friends have asked me what is the thing I will remember most from the trip.  Ummmm, EVERYTHING!!  Every second - even the "bad' ones - are seconds I wouldn't trade for anything. Perhaps the better question might be "What did I learn?"

• TRUST is something to be earned, not something to be given away.  

I am a very trusting person....admittedly at times to a fault.  This lesson was learned *NOT* because I met someone untrustworthy - but because I realized without trust in a relationship - you truly have nothing.  Trust is the foundation of which all other blocks of a relationship are built.  If that foundation is built too quickly - chances are it won't last.

• I need to FOCUS my attention. Otherwise known as "Yeah, you aren't an expert at multi-tasking, you're just scattered."

It is scientifically proven that your brain can not focus on more than one thing at a time.  For 25 years in the television news business - I tried to prove that fact wrong.  But now that I am "out" - I realize I can't give my energy to everything at once.  It's not respectful to the people and events that truly need/deserve my attention.

• MEDITATION NEEDS to be part of my daily life.

Enough said.

• You can't explain KARMIC connections - just enjoy them.

I mentioned  this trip was a testament to the power of social media.  Out of the millions of people on FACEBOOK, I have been blessed to have re-connected with some very old, old, old friends and family.  How can I explain the fact that I felt soooo comfortable with people I had met face to face for the first time?  I can't.  All I know is that I am blessed to have found them again.