The Reward

This morning I was getting ready to go for my daily walk in the canyon, and I put my lipstick and eyeliner in the pocket of my new French jeans. Heading out the door, I reached into my pocket and realized that it was remarkably shallow, and that the eyeliner was no longer there. I searched the floors and under the couch, but alas, I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I decided to let it go until I returned.

Once on the trail to the lake, I experienced an inner buoyancy that had been missing for weeks. I realized that attending Suleika Jaouad’s The Book of Alchemy Tour last night in Los Angeles had vivified me. Her devotion to the creative process, the goodwill inherent in her work, and the palpable love between her and Jon Batiste were all good medicine for me.

As I reached an oak grove, my newfound vibrancy propelled me to make a video of my daily practice of whispering into the bark of an old grey tree. It took some doing to film because the electric company was surveying its power structures, and helicopters kept flying overhead. I found it easy to surrender and be patient, however, as I was held in such a spirit of love. This caused me to reflect on the importance of getting out of my Laguna Beach bubble and taking part in the world at large. I pray for things to come to me, but then I limit their arrival because I get stuck in habitual tracks.

After making the video, I headed back out on the trail feeling fulfilled. I had been nudging myself to make videos for weeks but kept resisting that inner prodding. Walking past the lake to return home, something shiny on the trail caught my eye. I laughed out loud, because there was my eyeliner—its silver and green metallic colors standing out amidst the brown, dusty earth. I felt the presence of mischievous, otherworldly beings who were returning the eyeliner to me as a reward for making the video.

When we answer the inner call to create, we are met with outer support. This is such a simple yet miraculous loop that exists because of how intricately we are woven into the fabric of this world. We lose sight of that magic—and how taking just a few steps forward opens the realms of possibilities and rewards.