Trust Unfoldment

Often, in the midst of change or navigating a new idea, we think we need to control its evolution. But what if we let go and allowed it to unfold itself?

I’ve understood this concept of trust as a parent who recognized that my children had to discover and pursue their own passions and priorities. I’ve demonstrated it within the ebb and flow of an enduring marriage, or the building of a team.

Just recently, I witnessed the beautiful unfolding of a mature idea in a way that was far beyond the imagination of our team’s thorough human planning. It signaled the hand of the Divine.

Sixteen of us just returned from a week in Baja on Honest Heart Journeys’ inaugural restorative trip. While together, we witnessed the fullness of an inspired idea. We experienced the peace and wonder of our spectacular surroundings, with its stunning azure waters and awe-inspiring, diverse wildlife. We felt the invigorating clarity of a sisterhood founded on deep mutual understanding and the freedom of genuine spontaneity and childlike joy.

To be honest, many of us arrived uncertain of what a week with just women would be like. Even some husbands raised eyebrows.

But we proved the secret of the Honest Heart community – defying stereotypes and trivial expectations of personality conflicts, competition and comparison. Instead, we raised up the genuine hearts and desires of women who are willing to honor and nurture one another. And boy did we laugh, too!

Some among the courageous women on the trip unplugged from work for the first time in decades, while others embraced the newness of camping, kayaking or snorkeling.

We honored one another’s openness and vulnerability around key life topics and relationships. Many of us bravely drew lines in the sand, leaving behind limiting habits and patterns and literally crossed over those lines with no intention of going back to old ways.

We trusted the spirit of this Honest Heart experience to move us in some way. 

And nature truly responded to our call. I am in awe of it! Our eager guide shared that the animals feel the vibes of people, and ours were calling forth good. We had sea lions gently nibbling on our fingers and playfully encircling us, touching their noses to our masks while mama sea lions posed on rocks in the sun and suckled their young pups.

We swam amongst schools of shimmering fish that ebbed and flowed in unison and glided just above reefs teeming with vibrant and beautifully-decorated sea creatures. 

One evening, after witnessing neon blue bioluminescent plankton lapping against the shoreline, a group of us giggled and shined our flashlights as far as they could go to catch a glimpse of what was making the repeated large splashes and blow hole sounds that we swore signaled whales were traveling through. 

On our last evening on Isla Espiritu Santo, a baby sea turtle poked its head from beneath a book in the center of our conversation circle, and as we turned our lanterns to the beach, we saw it covered with brand new hatchlings making their way to the surf. And on our final day, a pod of dolphins swam beside us, curiously circling back to play in a rare return move. 

Each time I glanced down our long dinner table or watched our group from the back of the panga boat that carried us between islands, I saw a radiance of unfiltered joy and freedom on each woman’s face. 

I realized that, while this journey was created to provide each woman time and space to reflect and renew, it was the invigorating connection and conversation with others that was planting seeds for further solo time. Beyond a feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out), we rejoiced in being together with the genuineness that we’d discovered.

Honest Heart Journeys is a fully-formed idea that is propelling itself. This idea recognizes the shared patterns of women’s lives and provides a community and a space that nurtures what we desire -- feelings of wholeness, connection, purpose, growth.

The lessons that each of us has learned through our years of experience provide the foundation for what we explore and experience together. We bring to our interactions a maturity and wisdom that anchors us deep, like the fig trees that hang from cliffs in Baja, their roots traveling hundreds of feet through layers of colorful lava and volcanic ash to the Sea of Cortez below.

We can trust the unfoldment of an idea that’s rooted deep. One that knows its values and strengths, and its people. One that exists to bless. 

We are here to discover, honor, and lift up each woman’s worth and intention. Doing this together, for one another, is joyous and life-affirming! And we can trust its natural impetus and unfoldment.