Shifts, Changes and Moving On by Saralee Sky

In the words of the great Joseph Campbell: “We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

In that spirit, and with some trepidation and heaviness of heart, I have decided to close Babynut/Womb To Grow down by the end of March, 2010. I have enjoyed so much making this small gesture to the Universe. It has been a huge focal point for me and a way for me to reach out to mothers and babies and offer love, support, information and healthy products. I have no idea what I will do next. I guess I will just have to see what is waiting for me.

Taking this leap of faith and shutting down Babynut reminds me of the first time I discovered I was pregnant in 1975. I did not plan this pregnancy. I was unprepared for it and completely surprised. But some inner place of knowing spoke inside of me and said, “You can do this.” And so I did. My son Joseph Ananda is 34 now and expecting his own first child in August. I let go of the life I had planned and walked into the life that was waiting for me.

In 1987 I attended my 20th high school reunion. It was the first – and the last – reunion I had ever attended. While there I renewed my friendship with my old high school beau, Nunzio. He was a chiropractor and living in West Virginia. He invited me to come and see what he was creating in a little town called Summersville. I did eventually visit Summersville, where I was totally miserable for the entire visit. Again that inner voice said, “You can do this.” In April of 1988, my family and I moved to Summersville from Sebastopol, California(!), and I became a therapist for abused and neglected children. I let go of the life I had planned and walked into the life that was waiting for me.

In April of 2003, my second grandchild, Jordan Gabriel, was born. I had been working full-time as the director of a Camp Fire USA Council, and also helping to take care of Jordan’s older sister, Crystal. Jordan’s birth called out to me as an opportunity to stay at home with him for a few months. I resigned from Camp Fire with the idea of spending the summer at home and looking for a job in September. During the months from April to November, Womb To Grow/Babynut was born. I let go of the life I planned and walked into the life that was waiting for me.

And so here I am again; letting go, wondering where it will lead. I have loved (almost) every minute of my time as Babynut’s owner/manager. I hope that I have been able to provide healthy products, help and inspiration to my customers and readers. I wish us all love and shalom and we walk into the life that is waiting for us.

Letting Go of Self Interest and Self Importance

Although we have been made to believe that if we let go we will end up with nothing, life reveals just the opposite: that letting go is the real path to freedom. Sogyal Rinpoche

I hold so tightly to my idea of my SELF: who I am , what I know, what I believe. I am locked into the perception that I am a 59 year old woman. Is that really who I am? I read books on spirituality, I chant Sanskrit chants, I meditate, I do Hatha yoga. Do these practices help to free me of my delusions, or do they create their own attachments? Who am I really?

Accept being unimportant.
Do not be concerned with loss or gain. Lao Tsu

I want to become unimportant, but my ego gets in the way. I am sensitive to criticism. I fear loss, change, death. I don't want to be alone, but no one else lives inside my skin.

Another way of looking at this is letting go of self-pity. Don Juan (Carlos Castaneda's teacher) said this was essential for a warrior. He said we are all misled by our self-pity, which keeps us stuck in our small point of view.

It all comes down to letting go, surroundering our will to a greater will. Letting go and letting God. The ultimate leap of faith. Can I do it? Can you?