Skyline II-------Ohana

I learned so much in Hawaii. I learned that orchids by the roadside make a very pleasant driving experience.  I learned that orchids by the roadside make an even better stopping experience.  I learned that although lava moves slowly,  it engulfs and overcomes anything in its path. I learned that nature speaks to me as loudly as any sermon. I learned that I am a hearer of the muse. I learned that excellent customer service is its own reward. I learned that sometimes sand is green. And I learned the power of Ohana. According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, "…ohana means family in an extended sense of the term including both blood-related or extended. It emphasizes that family and friends are bound together and members must cooperate and remember one another."   Marcel Schwantes lives on the 4th floor. He entered my building about 8 years ago on the 2nd floor, an acquaintance of an acquaintance. Over the years he has shown amazing generosity and respect for the vision, passion, and purpose of my life.   I openly share my past with anyone. It is, after all, a matter of public record. What's done is done, I cannot change it, nor can it be affected by strangers and acquaintances. I find that my daily trips to the 7th floor result in deeper and better and quicker conections on the 4th floor. My advisors live here. The ones I look to for guidance in steering my future.  I find that advisors are being drawn to me to teach lessons that equip every aspect of my journey.   I learned from Michelle Armstrong that I can rearrange my perception of past events and re-negotiate the beliefs that distilled from those events.  Armed with new beliefs and fresh perspective, it seems I have the power to change the view from the 6th floor. What an interesting idea! That I can rearrange my very building blocks.  That I can see old information with new eyes.   It's exhilarating to meet a stranger who goes directly to the 4th floor. I've known Tom Voccola for a month now, but already he has given me information that impacts my future. In his book, "The Accidental CEO," he introduces the idea of a 'game worth playing.' That resonates with my spirit. I don't just want to play any game well. I want to play a game that I had a hand in creating. A game that is, without question, worth playing.   It's fun moving up. That's the natural progression of relationship. The faster the move, the more thrilling.  1st to 6th in 60seconds,  that whirlwind romance we envy on the big screen. The stranger who invades your soulspace. Be careful not to let anyone higher than they were meant to go, no matter how thrilling the ride. Returning them to the right floor will be painful or impossible.   The 6th floor is a sacred space. Until a few years ago, I thought it was the top of the building. It's where my soul lives. Here I keep my heart. Here my spirit sheds defense, releases protection. I'll tell you more about that later.   I lean on the Ohana, not only to help me decode the messages that come down from 7th, but also for support and strength. I depend so heavily on the 4th floor. These are the ones I confide in, the ones to whom I admit weakness and weariness, these are the ones I count on to hold me accountable. Scott Wilson, phenomenal singer and songwriter, describes the 4th so perfectly in the opening of one of my favorite songs: This is the place I come to dwell…   Here are my warriors, in whose company I feel safe, even when I'm wounded. Many of them hold day passes to the 6th. Some of them have project-duration clearance.  2nd and 3rd floor advice would move someone new into the vacancy on 6th, but 4th floorers temper the wisdom from above with an intimate knowledge of my heart, and recommend instead that I allow daytime consultants to assist and supervise the remodel until it's ready for a new tenant.   For 10 years a woman lived with me on the 6th floor. I was a poor host. That's another story.   To be continued…