My friend and headshot photographer Gerard Burkhart, once told me a story about growing up Catholic.  He said when he attended High School dances, the nuns were obsessed with potential illicit behavior.  Gerard said, if he (or anyone) danced too close, the nuns would rear up and say (with an Irish accent), “Not so close, Young Mr. Burkhart!  Leave some room for the Holy Ghost!”

I think about this all the time as I samba with the stories I tell myself.  I am beguiled by my perspective.  I am seduced into thinking that my viewpoint is the only reality.   I create a slow-dance story about how things are or how things should be.  I fight to maintain the supremacy of my story.

Sometimes life has a different story, a story completely independent of my limited point of view.

The unexpected – even the unwelcome – are invitations for the mystery to hold sway.

Deepak Chopra reminds us that fourteen billion years have conspired to bring us each present moment of the eternal now.  He writes, “When you fight against this moment, you fight against the entire Universe.”

Do you want to fight against the entire universe?  Or would you prefer to let go and leave some room for the Holy Ghost, otherwise known as the process,  the mystery of love becoming love?

Miracles spring from the willingness to let go.  Love needs spaciousness to find new possibilities.  The mystery needs emptiness to evolve in its fullness.

You provide the letting go.  Love provides the rest. 

Meditate – Center and find a story that dominates your thoughts.  Say “I leave room for the mystery.”

Practice – Throughout the day, notice your tendency to become caught in a story or opinion.  No matter how true it seems to you, see if you can let go and leave room for the mystery.    

Advanced Practice – Where are you completely unwilling to trust and let go?  See if you can love your unwillingness. The mystery lives and loves there too.