Good Vibes Only Please!
I started a part-time retail job recently at a pretty fantastic place. After training, they turned me loose on the sales floor to talk to our customers and I engaged with the loveliest couple on Friday. They were older, she was a nurse, he was a southern gentleman, and they had the most precious teasing banter with each other after 35 years of marriage. We talked for quite a while, learning about each other, leaning into the conversation with curiosity and kindness. As we wrapped up our discussion the gentleman, Jim, said to me “you have the loveliest energy about you”. It really made me ponder the powerful nature of our energy, both positive and negative.
Since leaving my career in higher education I have chosen to focus on positive energy, I am so thankful to be away from a space that was surrounded by a cloud of negativity and toxicity. It was so thick it would often feel as if I couldn’t breathe when I got to work and I felt like that energy stuck to me, my clothes, and it just seeped into my skin. I often ended up bringing it home with me, I just couldn’t shake it off.
The conversation with my customers, and reflecting on my former workplace, got me thinking about both our own personal energy and the energy of a space. I believe spaces have their own energy. Over the past few months, I have been out and about town looking for the best location for this business venture. I have looked at office buildings, retail spaces, empty spaces, older spaces, newer spaces, you name it and my realtor, and I have seen it! I’ve been overwhelmed with decision making, how many square ft do I need? Where does the business fit? This place is great for a yoga studio, probably not great for counseling. This place is great for counseling, but probably too quiet to gather people together…this place is great for the location, but the price is too high…this space is a great price, but I haven’t seen a car in the parking lot no one would even know the business is here…and so on! I started the search with enthusiasm, and as we progressed, I tried to maintain my positivity. I would treat myself to a pumpkin cold brew before our scheduled visits. I’d get psyched and try to find something positive about every space we viewed all the while feeling the pressure of time close in on me. On one visit someone slammed a door on us (no joke, that happened!). After finding a great little space that was showing as available, we found out a shop had just moved in. I told my realtor that I was struggling, I didn’t know how to pick a space and I couldn’t see where the business would fit. I verbally vomited my neurosis and anxiety all over her! She took it in stride and reassured me that it was good to see a lot of places and that I would know the right one because I would feel it. Pretty good advice!
Just after sharing with my realtor that I was starting to feel discouraged, we visited another space. When the doors opened, my heart lifted, and I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I had found an amazing spot. It had nothing to do with numbers, or square footage, or rent or even how many residents with the right income level lived in the area. It was all about the energy the space carried. It was warm, light, spacious, full of windows, it would meet current business needs and give the business room to grow. It felt like my second home, which is exactly what it’s going to be if I get the lease as I’ll be working 60+ hours a week to get it going!
I am always reminded that we carry our own energy, and our spaces carry energy. It’s important for us to reflect on that and be mindful of the energy we hold, the energy we guard, and the energy we put out into the world.
Reflect on a time that you were carried away by the energy of a space or a person, how did the energy make you feel? What kind of energy are you putting out into the world? Is it the kind of energy that reflects who you are? If not, how can you heal or change that energy? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page and meditate with me this Monday as we focus on healing our energy
