The Twelfth Step

I truly believe everyone’s on their own healing journey in life to find themselves and grow spiritually and how fast each moves along that journey is always different. Some may focus all their efforts on this process day in and day out, while others may work at much slower paces, often taking detours along the way. These days I’m definitely one of those who falls under the former, but for most of my life prior I was more of the latter. Regardless, I’ve come to reflect on my healing journey as that of a two-legged race.

While I can make each of my steps forward as fast as I want, that doesn’t always mean the Universe is going to move forward in response as quick as I did. So what that translates into of course is having to wait on the Universe to take that next step. In other words, it requires me to have plenty of patience and perseverance. Initially that might not seem so difficult when that waiting period is only a day, a week, a few weeks, a few months, or at best, a year or so. But when that waiting period translates into years, it can lead to great frustration, as it has for me. This in turn has regularly caused me to be at odds with others who aren’t waiting on the Universe and instead are avoiding the next step on their own healing journey.

I see people all the time who complain about their lives and the state of their being and then watch as they repeatedly do things that tear themselves apart, that are unhealthy for their minds and bodies, that are strictly ego-based and grounded in nothing but self-will. So much of their pain and suffering is only because of their own actions. Thus as I sit in that period of patience and perseverance, waiting on the Universe, I grow irritated with those who are able to make a step forward in life but don’t.

I know it’s wrong to judge another on this or to attempt to help move them along a little faster because there were plenty of times in my life where I too had plenty of steps I could take forward, but never did. I was just too afraid, so I instead constantly took those detours. But eventually I always found my way back to the path I was always meant to be on, except that never came because of another judging or controlling me, it came when I was ready.

That’s why I’m inclined to believe that the Universe knows precisely when to take the next step forward with me on this two-legged race, as maybe the Universe knows somehow I’m not ready, even though I think I am. And it’s also why I know I must not judge or attempt to interfere with anyone else’s healing journey either, because after all, I really don’t know whether they’re ready for that next step forward or not.

So as I continue to practice patience and perseverance with this two-legged race I’m on with my healing journey, I’m going to keep doing my best to trust that everything is unfolding in the time it’s meant to, not just in my life, but in everyone else’s as well.

Peace, love, light, and joy,

Andrew Arthur Dawson