It’s Daniel here for another drop of insight and inspiration for you. Today I want to talk about how letting go and creating space can open up your life to all kinds of magic and goodness.
Often we’re so busy living life that we forget to stop and reflect on whether this is the life we want to be living! Maybe you’ve been ignoring the nagging feeling that it’s time to get out of a job or career path that you’re in. Perhaps you have relationships in your life that went from great to gross but you’re still hanging on. Regardless of the change that needs to happen, it’s super beneficial to take the time to do an energetic audit on your life and discover where space needs to be made.
To illustrate this, I want to share one of the biggest times that I let go, and how some amazing things fell into place almost immediately afterward. Gather round, grab a drink and maybe a snack. Uncle Danny’s gonna tell you a story.
recognizing what isn’t working
About 14 years ago I was living in Toronto and I was nine months into a relationship with a guy named… we’ll call him Cory… which was growing more and more toxic. We said ‘I love you’ too fast, we moved together too fast, and it had all become too much.
While things were good sometimes, I dealt with so much projection. gaslighting, confrontation and bull$#!% that my nervous system was constantly on edge. I felt disconnected from who I was, and worse – I felt trapped. Nevertheless I kept rationalizing staying with this guy for a few reasons:
1) We’d come this far, and maybe we could work it out.
2) All of his friends were now my friends.
3) We lived together and if I left I’d have nowhere to go.
I felt like I needed some time away and an opportunity came up at the last minute for me to go to California for the first time and attend a yoga retreat with some friends. “Perfect timing,” I thought. At that time, I’d never really done yoga or meditation before but I felt so extremely called to be there that I borrowed money, scraped together what I had and bought my plane ticket for a week away.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder. This will be good for us”, I thought. I could sort out my issues, and when I came back I’d be stronger, so my relationship would be stronger.
Getting on that plane was the beginning of one of the biggest shifts of my life.
opening up to what could be
At my very first yoga retreat at my very first time in Joshua Tree, not only did my love affair with this mysterious and magical dessert begin, but it opened me up to an energy I’d never felt before: presence, self-connection, self-love on a whole new level.
A couple days into the retreat I was already feeling so much excitement and hope for my future. I was locked into a vibration that felt authentic and meaningful and I was so full of gratitude to finally feel like I was becoming more of myself. I thought it would be nice to check in with Cory, see how he was, and let him know how good I was feeling. This was the phone call that changed everything.
I called Cory up and was excited to tell him how great the retreat was going and how happy I was, but as soon as he picked up he started going off about how terrible he felt and how stressed he was. I tried to calm him down and impart some perspective and share some tools and insights I’d been learning. I was open, loving and supportive, as usual.
What I got back was “you know what, Dan? We can’t all be in La La Land doing woo woo $#!% in the desert. Some of us have real problems and are going through a hard time”.
While I was disappointed in Cory’s @$$hole reaction, I wasn’t hurt or shocked by this behaviour. When I hung up that call I knew in every cell of my being that I needed to end this relationship. How could someone that’s supposed to love me shut me down so easily and not even be able to fake caring about me?
When the retreat ended, the high of my Joshua Tree experience was dimmed as I spent the rest of my California adventure in full anticipation of the impending breakup.
letting go of what needs to go
When I got home, unfortunately Cory was in a great mood. He had also converted the guest bedroom into an office for me, complete with a desk, shelving, and a fresh coat of paint. I could have seen this thoughtful gesture as a reason to stay (again), but I knew it was one final test from the Universe for me to prove my worth.
I broke up with him. He completely lost his $#!%. He threw his cell phone against the wall, blamed me for that, then called his mother and made me talk to her. How embarrassing.
On this chilly September day, he kicked me out and I made my way to the Greyhound station with only my carry-on clothes from California. I was a mess, in tears, and almost got hit by a car a few times. What a day!
When I got on the bus, I called my brother Jeff to pick me up at the station. The bus left the city and then immediately got into a collision on the highway. Of course. Now we would be delayed! I went to call Jeff to tell him I’d be late… but my phone died. Of course. I exhaled deeply and leaned my head against the window. That’s when it started pouring rain. Of course.
It was at this moment that I burst into laughter. “What is this f***ing day!?” I thought.
It was straight out of a movie. I couldn’t make up the series of events that got to this moment… but I also couldn’t make up the magic that followed it.
stepping into the future
Even though it was a rocky transition, I knew I’d made the right choice because I already felt lighter. Even with all the uncertainty that was laying in front of my path, I knew I was destined for a better life than I’d been living. I stayed at my brother’s place for a week or so trying to navigate my next steps.
I needed a place to live, so I wrote a letter to the Universe, describing the type of place I wanted. Most specifically, I wanted to live at Yonge & St. Clair because, now that I’d been introduced to yoga, there was a studio there where my friend taught that I wanted to work at. I visualized living uptown and working at this studio… but that wasn’t enough. I decided to post my letter to the Universe on Craigslist to see if someone with an apartment for me would bite.
A few days later I was meeting with my new roommate Kate, a beautiful human with a cute cat and a spare room in her two-bedroom apartment at Yonge and St. Clair. We hit it off immediately and became fast friends.
From there, I walked to the yoga studio, a staggering 3-minute walk away from my apartment. Even though my visit was unannounced, I sat down with the amazing owner, Felicia who “just happened” to need a front desk person immediately. She hired me on the spot. I started the next week and absolutely loved it. One month later I took on the role of assistant manager.
One month after that, my one-time fickle flame Steve popped into my Facebook DM’s and we reconnected – we’ve been together ever since.
making space for what’s next
You likely have a story in your life where you’ve let go of something in order to let in something new. The energetic cleanse that happens when you first get really honest with yourself can provide an extremely powerful shift.
If you take the time to understand what isn’t working, you can make room for things that will work. If you disconnect with what doesn’t serve you, the Universe will connect you with a life you didn’t even know was possible.
Understanding this flow of life – letting go and letting in – is how I ended up here, at my futuristic wellness studio helping people change their lives. Vortex has given me the opportunity to facilitate major changes in people’s health and wellness, but also given people the space to shift their lives to the next level.
We’re not just the best place to recharge and recover, we’re the perfect spot to reflect and take some time to be intentional – understand where you’re at and decide where you want to go.
So if you’re ready to let in some really good $#!%, we’re here to help shift your life to the next level.
