June 15

Could Be Your Ring

To get thine ends, lay bashfulness aside; who fears to ask, doth teach to be deny'd. -Thomas Herrick

At summer camp, I developed an industrial-strength crush on a girl named Roberta Horn. Roberta was pretty, sweet, and friendly, and when I stepped within ten feet of her, my heart quickened and my stomach did flip-flops. I talked to Roberta a few times and once, when we went roller skating, I got to hold her hand. (I didn't wash it for a week.) At the age of 15, I was too nervous to approach her since I knew that someone as beautiful and wonderful as she would never be interested in someone as weird as I was. Several years later, I saw Roberta and she showed me her hand again, this time with an engagement ring on it. By that time, I had developed some courage, and I told her about the crush I had felt.

"I had a crush on you, too," she told me, "but I didn't think you liked me very much." Whoa. "Funny, huh?" she waxed philosophical. "Who knows? If either of us had been more honest, this might have been your ring on my hand." While the pain of missing out on a potentially wonderful relationship shot through me like an arrow, the lesson was a gift. It was a primer in telling the truth even when it's scary. I learned that asking for what you want is a prerequisite for getting it.

If you feel a deep resonance with a person, whether in romance, friendship, creativity, business, or the spiritual path, it is likely that person feels the same way. Be honest about your enthusiasm, and take a step in that direction. Even if you get a "no," you will have the satisfaction of being true to yourself and knowing that you honored your feelings. In the long run, you will do better by voicing your intuitions rather than hiding them.

Give me the courage to act on my inspirations. Help me put Your visions into action.

The good I seek is seeking me.