This weekend, my partner Jeff and I took a few days off and traveled down to Pacific Grove, a quaint town nestled between Monterey and Carmel. We needed some time to just be. We walked along the beach, slept, ate, walked, talked, read, and watched Harry Potter movies (a first for me!). We had a beautiful time together.
Whenever I take the time to simply slow down and rest, I find that playful place inside me that seems to get little time in my day-to-day life. It’s one of the things I want to bring more fully into the day-to-day, that playful side that.
Yesterday, after deliciously sleeping in, we stopped by a little coffee/book house on the main street of Pacific Grove, Lighthouse Avenue. I was wearing my Kali Yantra 
, a silver necklace Jeff gave me to wear on my trip to India last year. As we entered the coffee house, two women caught my eye. They were deep in conversation, but something about them spoke to me. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but I could feel a connection with them.
I purchased my tea, and as I walked away from the coffee bar, one of the women and I caught a shared glance and we smiled. She then spoke first and mentioned my necklace, noting that she was wearing a pair of earrings that matched. I went over to them and we began a conversation. She asked me the name of the Goddess that the yantra represented, and I responded by telling her of Kali: that Kali is the Goddess of creation and destruction, and that in images she is shown with a necklace of skulls around her neck, and that she is misunderstood. She isn’t about death, but about the death of the ego, of the beauty of people finding who and what they are. “Her perpetual dance of cosmic bliss plays out through the eons as the creation and dissolution of worlds within worlds. Yet God, in the feminine form of the Mother – as the Absolute made Immanent – is ready to shower Her love and affection on any who care to turn their gaze toward Her fiery heart.” (source)
As I spoke of this divine symbol of love, the other woman said something about how important this was for her to remember. She then began to cry sweet, soft tears that ran down her cheeks. She was beautiful in this moment of recognition of something deeply important for her. The beauty was in the flash of truth that she felt. Something spoke to her deep within. What exactly we said didn’t really matter. What I witnessed, and treasure, is the flash of knowing that can come to us at any second if we are open to what might meet us.
I had just written the prior post about the amazingness of women, and I once again thought of this idea, that there is such beauty, strength and pure love in women that is ripe for us to once again reclaim. This flash of recognition came to the three of us because we were open to each other and to discovering what it was that drew us to each other.
We shared a few more words about women and how we need to acknowledge the tears of truth in ourselves and in each other. And then I said goodbye. I thought of these two beautiful women all day, and felt such gratitude for what they shared and what I witnessed.
Julie, your encounter with the two women moved me so much by its simplicity, truth and power. I have found it amazing when I connect with a stranger, even in a small quiet way. Why doesn’t it happen more? It seems that the magic often occurs when we are out of our routine and somehow more open to the world at large, as you were on your precious time away.
Yesterday my mother and i met a woman from Scotland who was travelling alone. Our encounter was not a revelation in content, but such a lovely connection. How reinforcing to experience that little rush of delight in having seen someone, even briefly. I want more of that in my life and I am going to try to allow it to happen, to take the time, to make the tiny effort.
Thank you Julie for sharing your experiences and so encouraging mine! Love, Barbara
Barbara,
Thank you for stopping by and checking out my latest sharing. These moments are wonderful, aren’t they…times when we meet another, just for a moment, and then they are gone. Yes, I think you are right about the busy-ness factor. I know when I am present to the moment at hand I am able to connect with others more easily. I also think it has something to do with desire, the desire to connect and be vulnerable.
Many times the connection can be just a shared glance or a smile of appreciation. I am aware of how much people want this connection, especially women. When I look at another woman with openness and curiosity, and not the sizing up that sometimes can happen when one is feeling self-conscious or in the not-enoughness place, I also consciously feel the feeling that I know she is amazing simply because of who and what she is. And people feel that. They feel me feeling the amazingness of who and what they are. I think that is where deep, meaningful connection happens…when we see in each other the beauty that we are deep within.
What a lucky woman she is, the one from Scotland. To meet you, even for a moment, is a gift. I know because I know you.
Love,
Julie
Hi Julie,
Stopping by your blog…saw the link on Ryze.
What a lovely, peaceful story. Thank you for sharing the moments of your life. I will stop by more often.
Susan
Susan,
Welcome to the blog. It’s great to have you stop by from Ryze.
I’m glad you enjoyed the story. It was a lovely, peaceful moment in my life, so it’s nice to know that came through my post. I look forward to your stopping by again.
Peace,
Julie