What If

Arlene Cantu recently published a book called What If, A Little Book About Hope. It’s a touching, compelling, quick read but it makes one think on those two simple words and how powerful they can be. “How is that?” you may ask. Think for a moment about how you might have used What If in a sentence or in a life event.

Those two words literally saved my life when I was 8 years old. I was contemplating taking my life, had the note written and the knife pointed at my chest. Apparently I was a little girl desolate about my life. I really don’t remember a lot about my young years but I can see this event clearly in my fuzzy memory banks.

Just as I was ready to plunge the knife in, my family had left to go somewhere and I was in the house alone, I heard, “What if you miss?”

That stopped me. I had a quick vision of being paralyzed or somehow totally disabled and relying on the family I was so desperately trying to escape becoming my sole caretakers and the horror of that thought changed my actions. I put the knife away, burned the note and went on with life.

Today I am so grateful I clearly heard that, “What if?” I like to think it was my Guardian Angel who saved me. And, by the way, my life did get much better and as adults we all got along beautifully, mostly.However, thinking of this led me to thinking of my life in the Now and how What if played a part in it. I surely could What if myself til the cows come home, I do believe. I guess really what I think about most is the What if I had not found my path after Max, my husband of 37 years, passed in 2017.

What if I had remained on that rocky, slippery path in and out of the dark pits of grief with only a rope ladder to climb out? I shudder to think. I guess the Universe had more in store for me. Feeling lost and alone the Universe quite plainly showed me a way out one afternoon in 2021. A notice popped up in my email on a Dream Interpretation Summit that was to start in a few hours. Since I had been keeping dream journals for many, many years, and had a bookshelf of Dream Interpretation publications, this was right up my ally.

I thought to myself, “If I finish with my grandson and get home in time, maybe I’ll sign up.” I had no real hope we would finish in time as we had a big project we were going to work on. But, the Universe can be extremely persistent and I was home in plenty of time to sign up, get something to eat and settle in for the opening remarks.

What if I had blown it off? I don’t even want to begin thinking where I would be today instead of where I am. I went on to take Michael Sheridan’s classes and learned from my dreams what I was truly born to do, the spiritual gifts I came into this life with, traumas I needed to heal and how to heal them.

What if keeps running through my mind and I am so very grateful I do not have to even visualize a What if configuration of how I might be living instead of this fun and exciting joie de vivre I feel today.

I love that Arlene put it in a book and made me look at life from another angle, showing me  positive views. Those times when I feel like giving up, I can now visualize how my future might look by using her simply meditation of What if?

When this life is over I don’t wish to be laying there thinking What if I could do it over and find there are regrets there. I believe What if is meant to be a growing tool, a method to help us choose the best course to take, at least for where we feel we need to go. Encouragement.

What if I hadn’t made the choices I made, good or bad? Who would I be? I’m not even going to go there. What’s done is done. But moving forward, my What ifs can take me to angles I’ve never thought of before, enlightening me, giving me forethought and a moment to pause before I leap off that cliff. For that I will welcome What if with gratitude.

What if I had not written this blog on What if and you did something before stopping to consider all possibilities and rushed in to something. Yes, I know all about there are no mistakes, only learning curves. That’s doesn’t count here. At least, not for now.

I am only pondering on the What ifs that can help make living on our precious Gaia a more fulfilling existence. So, I’ll What if and watch how the Universe, or as I like to think of it, Mother/Father Creator/God will steer me. One thing is for sure, I do not choose to follow this path alone. Since beginning this new portion of my life I have gathered more friends then I ever had before. To know I am watched, supported and cared for, literally by my friends and my spirit team, assures me all my What iffing will be another grand instrument in my toolbox of life.

I’m ready to share this means of reasoning with you. Let’s start now. What if . . .

What If, A Little Book About Hope by Arlene Cantu, ArleneCantu@gmail.com

Roda

Wizard in Training