Just a few months ago, my life started changing. I quit my job that was really dragging me down and decided to take some time to figure out where I truly wanted my life to go. During this time, I decided to listen to my heart and that inner voice that was telling me to do what I loved. I knew I loved kayaking and yoga. Kayaking brought me to life. On the water I felt energized, healthy and I loved all the people I was meeting. It fueled me with adventure and joy. And the better care I took of myself off the water, the better I felt on the water. And as for yoga, I realized the more I practiced, the more my life fell into place, synchronizing everything. For a long time I had been doing what I thought I should do instead of doing what I felt. I decided this was my chance to follow that inner voice that seemed to be getting louder and louder.

So, I went for it. I got certified as a Wilderness First Responder, started working with Girls at Play, met an amazing guy, and moved to Asheville, the city where I had always wanted to move. As soon as I started following my inner guidance, everything began to roll into place. Each wonderful thing, nourishing the next with the joy and energy it provided. So, as all of these amazing things were happening I would stop every now and then in disbelief and think “when is this going to stop, this can’t be reality…”. I was talking with a close friend one day, telling her about all of the unbelievable  changes falling into place and then started babbling, resisting and analyzing them, telling her I knew they would end and struggling with the rush of new emotions I was feeling. She then said “let it happen”. That stopped everything for me. It suddenly made since. Let it happen.

We often have difficulty believing that we deserve the good in life. We are too busy worrying about what we should be doing rather than letting what is happening, happen. We sometimes refuse to recognize what we are curious about and what brings out the life in us. But once we do, everything falls into place. It feels crazy and you want to think about it, resist it or explain it. When you stop and let it happen, you feel the moment. The moment may feel different, and overcome you with new emotions that make you want to resist. It can be something big, and life changing or something like the moment you are upside down in your boat, you want to pop your skirt and bail but instead you take a moment to relax a little before you set your paddle and roll up in your kayak. Or it may be that moment in relaxation pose when you resist fidgeting and let the fresh blood and oxygen flow through your body. These little moments lead to bigger moments. Once you start “letting it happen” or being in that moment in the small moments, it is easier to “let it happen” in the big moments. You breathe and let that moment pass. If the moment you feel, feeds you goodness, you can take that with you, feeding the next and eventually passing the warmth and energy you feel to others.

One of the coolest things (and there are many!) about working with Girls at Play is being able to share the sport of kayaking with other women. Kayaking is what lead me to changing my life, and opening myself up to adventure and a healthy vibrant lifestyle. I have only helped with a few clinics so far and feel so grateful to be meeting so many amazing women and guiding you on the water as you explore this new experience. You never know what this new experience may bring. If you open yourself up to that newness, just let it happen and enjoy the amazing changes it can infuse into your life.