Friday, December 7, 2007

Adventure in Barcelona

Today I am writing from Barcelona,

Yesterday was my first day in Barcelona. I have three days to relax between leading two different workshops. It was a very surprising start to my visit here to get robbed before I even had breakfast.

That event really gave me the opportunity to experience the application of Awakened Living.

At first I was in denial, I couldn't believe it had happened. I was trying to convince myself that maybe I had misunderstood what had happened but alas I could not deny the fact, I had been robbed. I knew I had to look at this face on.

Then I got angry. I got angry at myself for allowing this to happen. I got angry at the crooks who take advantage of kind people. In this case the crooks impersonated being kind to get closer to me, to take advantage. I allowed myself to experience the anger.

I then went through a stage of asking the Universe what I could do to lessen the damage here. I cancelled my credit cards, I filed a police report, and got philosophical about it all. Making the best of a bad situation.

I wandered around for a day with barely enough money for a meal, it brought back memories of when that was a fact in my life, a time long ago. Then I observed myself falling into a depression. I had a hotel room and I didn't want to leave. I felt like sleeping all the next day. I was falling. A time to recover, to choose, to stay resourceful.

I kicked myself out of bed and asked the Universe to give me a good day. I asked to meet someone nice, I asked for a different experience than I had been having. I noticed I was nervous but I headed out for a day of tourism anyway.
I had arranged for some money to be wired to me, thank you American Express for coming through as advertised, where one of my other banks said I had better be able to prove i got robbed or I could be in trouble.

Thanks to the wonderful waiter at a nearby restaurant who as I sat down, warned me to watch my bag, and when i told him my story, he really listened and then was just nice and made such a difference.

Please be kind to a stranger today.

I finally found myself to a place where I could do a loving kindness meditation for the robbers, for the police, for myself, and with that I felt all the negative energy of this event wash away.

I am grateful for this event for revealing to me where I still have work to do and I could have done without it.
This is a small thing in the world today, it just happens to be the day I had.

All of this happened in roughly twenty four hours.
What a day.

Journey well and be safe,
Patrick