Those of you who know me or have read my book, The Horizon is Here, know that I do not believe in coincidences. I believe everything around us is a message, a lesson, or a sign. For about the past year, I have been thinking about a second tattoo. My first one says infinite love (Om sign) gratitude. It is on my forearm in a Sanskrit font, and it makes me feel empowered. The one I am working on in my head is a sunflower of some type. The reason it is taking me so long is I do not know where to put it! I want to be able to see it, otherwise, why get it? But, I also want to be able to cover it if "need" be. Hence, my quandary!

I have never been drawn to sunflowers before but I know I am on the right symbolic path. As to no coincidences, sunflowers have been popping up all around me. And, not the real ones, which validates to me, again, that there are no coincidences. I was searching online last night for a necklace I have conjured up in my head; more specifically, a pendant that has nothing to do with flowers. But, guess what popped up? A sunflower charm. I am halfway through my master's in clinical mental health counseling and the classmate that I randomly chose to work with this week had (you guessed it) a sunflower tattoo on her shoulder.

Sunflowers stand for longevity and love. The yellow ones (I did not know there were other colors!) honor the sun. That makes sense. The sun offers light; our world seems to be covered in a shroud of darkness so I think that is one reason I am being drawn more resolutely to the sunflower. The word guru means leading someone from darkness into light. I think the sunflower will be a great reminder that you have to know darkness to know light. But, the light always comes. It may be a glimmer at first, but it always seems to appear just when we need it most.

Look for the "coincidences" in your world; the signs that keep popping up over and over again. They are life lessons and messages. It could be a person, a song, a number, an object, an animal...then, look up its symbolism and see where it applies to you. Comment below and let me know what you find:)

I have finally published my book, and I am thankful. I have wanted to publish a book since I was in high school although, back then, I thought it would be a poetry book. This dream definitely waited for me to come to it. What I mean by that is, of course, I could have sat down decades ago to write but I could not have written this book. I am so glad the Universe helped hold me back until everything aligned: the stories, the book cover, the formatting...all of it. Even the title, The Horizon is Here, came to me in a dream. I wrote it down the next morning and held onto it for years. This title is important in that it references staying in the present. Worries and fears are past and present-based. When we are focused on this immediate moment, then chitta vritti (Sanskrit for mind chatter) cannot exist.

So many people listened to me talk about this book for years! Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for not telling me you didn't think I would ever finish it even if that is what you were thinking! Thank you to everyone who has told me how much they like the book. I thought long and hard about publishing my personal stories and thoughts but my dharma, true path, is to help others, and my hope that this book could be helpful won out over worry.

I just want people to know they matter, that they are perfect the way they are, and they have a right to be loved. I want you to know that the Universe is giving, and it wants you to have what you ask for...just make sure you are wording your request in a positive way. I want  to help you put together an imaginary toolkit filled with mantras, positive affirmations, deep breathing, and so much more so you do feel empowered in your life. I want you to see your life lessons clearly so you can learn from them and move on, because that is what we are here for. I want you to read my stories and begin to take yours apart.

So, for all of this, I am grateful, and I thank you.