Don't Judge a Ride by Its Scorpion
I’m still reveling in the joy and love I experienced last week during a 5-day spiritual retreat called “A Time to Deepen.” I knew it was going to be an amazing event when it started with a beautiful miracle! (A miracle is a shift from fear to love as defined by A Course in Miracles.)
The retreat was held at Spirit in the Desert, a retreat center about 45 minutes north of Phoenix in a little town called Carefree, AZ. The name says it all!
Most of the attendees were already at Spirit in the Desert by the time my flight landed, so I took a Lyft by myself from the airport to the retreat center. I will admit, I was less than thrilled when the app showed me the photo of the driver coming to pick me up. He looked angry in his profile picture.
It didn’t help when he pulled up in a white Toyota Corolla covered with decals of lions, scorpions, and skeletons. My first thought was, “Oh my God! I’m going to arrive at a spiritual retreat in this car?”
Well, I learned a valuable lesson not to judge a ride by its scorpions! The interior of the car was immaculately clean. And the driver could not have been more friendly and attentive. He told me he had just moved to the U.S. from Pakistan last October, so he was still learning English. Communication was difficult, but he must have asked me at least 5 times on the way to the retreat center if everything was ok.
Before we left the airport, he wanted to know if the a/c was cold enough for me and what kind of music I wanted to listen to. Once we got going, he handed me his phone and said, “Here. What music?” The YouTube app was open on his phone, and I could see the last passenger had selected Beyoncé. As much as I love Queen B, I was in the mood for something a little more soothing. The first artist that popped into my mind was Deva Premal.
I knew she recently released a new song, but unfortunately, I couldn't remember the name. When I typed in her name, her Dakshina album popped up. Since the album is 50 minutes long, I selected it. That would get us to Spirit in the Desert without me having to look for anything else on his phone.
A few minutes into the first track, he asked if the song was in English. I said no, it was Sanskrit. Not knowing anything about his background or beliefs, I wondered how this would be received. A few moments later, I noticed him tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat.
When the first song finished, he said something like, “I like this. No boom boom or lots of words. Very peaceful.” It made me so happy that he liked her beautiful voice and the peaceful vibes of the mantras.
The next 40 minutes were quite surreal. I felt like I was in a Saturday Night Live skit whenever we passed a car and I caught a glimpse of our reflection in the windows. It made me giggle to know that mantras to the Divine were emanating from this vehicle covered with scorpions, lions, and skeletons!
We mostly just listened to the music, but we did speak a few more times. I found out my driver liked living in the U.S., and he loved driving and meeting people. He admitted that he sometimes got confused driving in the city, but he was truly enjoying this drive north through the beautiful scenery. I was, too.
By the time we arrived at Spirit in the Desert, I was relaxed and peaceful. My driver thanked me for introducing him to Deva Premal and said he planned to listen to more of her music. As we shook hands, I told him he was an exceptional driver, and I thanked him for being so kind.
Before he left, I asked if I could snap a photo of his car. He said, “Of course!” He was very proud of his decals. I wanted to remember this powerful lesson about releasing judgments and the heart connection we made through music. It was clear that Spirit had arranged the perfect ride for me to the retreat.
That was the first of many heart connections I made that week. Perhaps I’ll share more about the retreat itself in future stories. And don’t worry if you feel like you missed out. The inaugural event was so well-received, another one is planned for next spring. I hope you will consider joining us!
If you’d like some help opening your heart to more connection, I would be honored to assist you with a series of Spiritual Coaching Sessions or a private Family Constellations Session. Both are powerful tools to gain insights and clarity in seeing things from a different perspective. Please look around my website for more information and to book a session. I look forward to working with you!
Until next time, may you be delightfully surprised by things that arrive in unexpected packages.
Wisdom is not judgment; it is the relinquishment of judgment.
A Course in Miracles ~ M-10.4:5