In the not too distant future

Laurel, just as you may now think, with some amusement, about prior civilizations who thought your earth was flat, there will be others, in the not too distant future, who will reel in disbelief that there was ever a time when abundance wasn't seen as spiritual, where a dream's manifestation wasn't considered inevitable, and that there were multitudes who knew so little of their importance, their power, and of how deeply they were loved.

Gasp -
The Universe


Laurel, we can't even tell them about your green M&M's.

Making it big

The thing about making it big, and doing it fast, Laurel, is that invariably the first steps will be small and slow.

Which oddly, for many, is the same reason they don't take them.

You know better, huh, Laurel?

Huh, huh, huh?
The Universe



Laurel, with enough little, bitty steps you're going to have to decide really soon about what you'll want for yourself after you get your new, faster, fancier, lighter laptop.

Zip, Zap, Zop

Hey, Laurel, don't you see? The "right" circumstances, people, and opportunities are just like "good" ideas - they come to you fastest, once you relax.

Zip, Zap, Zop,
The Universe




Maybe this is true, Laurel, because they all start out as "good" ideas....

Tests

Life's so called "tests," Laurel, aren't really tests at all. And to dispel a common misconception, they certainly aren't given by me.

They're just the facts and circumstances one has unintentionally crafted with their focus, that, ever so conveniently reveal powers not yet claimed and understandings not yet grasped.

Amazing how these things work themselves out, huh?
The Universe

If I were to test you, Laurel, first I'd give you the answers.

What you'll miss the most

The main thing those who've "passed" would like to tell those who've not "passed," Laurel, is that once you get over the shock of having safely arrived - completely intact, cool as ever, and bathed in love - what you'll miss most about Earth, after ice cream, is the beguiling romance of uncertainty.

Oh yes you will.

You really do have it made,
The Universe

®

Uncertainty, Laurel, only means I've yet to decide how to surprise you best, based upon all you're thinking, saying, and doing.

Whooohooooooo!

I've been asked to pass on a word, Laurel, from your closest friends in the unseen...

"Whooohooooooo!"

Hooligans,
The Universe



They said you'd know why, Laurel.

The trick with courage

The trick with courage, Laurel, is realizing that it isn't so much about overcoming fear, as it is about not settling for less. And then, it comes as effortlessly as a midsummer's night breeze.

Whhhhhhhhhhhhhh-a-a-a-a-a-a, who-o-o-osh -
The Universe


Or put another way, Laurel, it's about wanting something so greatly that no perceived risk can keep you from thinking about it, and moving towards it.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Just curious, Laurel, but when was the last time you relied upon me? You know, consciously realized you weren't alone as you went about your daily affairs, choosing a path, finding a parking space, or a new friend, or a great idea... and expected, at least, a little something?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Well, let's just say we do it more often.

K?
The Universe



Laurel, let there be no day you greet, no room you walk into, no street you drive upon, no plane you fly, no boardroom you rally, no mountain you climb, no parking lot, dance floor, beer hall, or Jacuzzi you frequent, that you don't consciously realize you aren't alone, and expect a little something. (No, can't really explain the Jacuzzi bit or the beer hall... you?)

Wouldn't it be nice to know

Wouldn't it be nice to know, and I do mean REALLY, REALLY know, that everything - absolutely everything - is going to turn out just fine? Really fine. Outrageously so.

Laurel, you can know this right now, as I do, if you just see yourself right now, as I do: a part of me.

Santi, Santi, Santi -
The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars



Laurel, it's twue, it's twue.

A whisper of time

One of the greatest things about finally reaching the "top of the mountain," Laurel - gazing about at the magnificence of life through tears of joy, thoroughly understanding every inch of your climb and its many unexpected setbacks, and grasping the dazzling perfection of it all - is looking back down at those still climbing (no, not what you're thinking, there's more...), still struggling, still lost and confused, and realizing with absolute certainty that they, too, will reach the top, in just a whisper of time.

Thank heavens,
The Universe


Laurel, you're such a lover.

Want More?

If I can handle plate tectonics... if I can wrap Saturn in rings... if I can hurl planets into place, and design Milky Ways, moths, and millipedes... just think what I can do for you.

Laurel, want more.

A lot more.

It opens doors.

Tallyho,
The Universe

No, Laurel, not the chocolate bar, the galaxy.

Not rebel, Laurel, revel!

Has "you not knowing how," Laurel, ever stopped me before?

Has "you not knowing the way," ever kept it hidden from me?

Has "you not knowing when," ever stopped me from figuring it out?

Ever?

Ever, ever?

Or, Laurel, do I revel in such freedoms?

The Universe



Not rebel, Laurel, revel! Still thinking of Billy Idol?

Expectation

Have you ever wondered, Laurel, why most people have less trouble with walking and not falling down, talking and making perfect sense, and breathing without stop, than they do with dieting, finding love, or getting rich?

Of course not, but it wouldn't be a bad idea.

It's because with walking, talking, and breathing (which, incidentally, are infinitely more complex than the latter), they engage the magic with intent and expectation, twitch a few general muscles to get things started, and then, with faith, they turn the rest over to me.

In the second group, they try to do it all themselves.

I rock like that,
The Universe


Laurel, you rock too.

Choose joy

Sadness, illness, and despair, are less conditions than they are decisions - to see yourself as less than you really are.

Good thing that's all, huh, Laurel?

Yours,
The Universe



There's truly nothing, Laurel, that need keep you from seeing the truth, and choosing joy.

Plant the seeds...

Laurel, no one has ever grown a garden...

(dramatic pause)

...that you couldn't grow yourself.

And I'm not just talking about the leafy kinds.

Let's till,
The Universe




Actually, Laurel, no one has ever grown a garden. That's what I do. But they have planted the seeds, held a vision, and cared for it, day-by-day-by-day.

"easy" is good,

Like most things in life, Laurel, getting what you want, or doing something new, or being really honest with yourself, is typically very, very hard for first timers, but then... it becomes patently, ridiculously, absurdly and preposterously EASY for the rest of eternity.

I'd say do it right, nail it, whatever it takes, because "easy" is good, and eternity is long.

Comprende?
The Universe



OK, Laurel, I meant "eternity is a long time" - but I'm practicing easy.

Simple kindness

You're the kind of person, Laurel, who saves so much time every month with wise decisions, creative thoughts, and simple kindness, that if you were anyone else, you'd toot your own horn, take the next week off, and stop feeling guilty for not doing more.

Really...
The Universe



Yes, Laurel, simple kindness saves time! It also extends lives, loudens laughter, and compounds interest. And yes, "loudens" is a word... now.

Being genuinely kind...

Being fair and reasonable will earn you respect and admiration, but being genuinely kind, Laurel, will make you a total love magnet.

Pucker up,
The Universe



Go for love magnet, Laurel.

I'll have what she's having!

Did you know, Laurel, that you can expect extraordinary miracles to manifest in your life about 2% more often, simply by learning that your thoughts become the things and events of your life?

"Whoop-de-do."

And that you can expect extraordinary miracles to manifest about 25% more often, when you not only learn this, but you also visualize at least several times a week?

"Oh, cowabunga."

But when you understand that "thoughts become things," you visualize, and you begin saying and doing things, every day, that you've never said or done before, the onslaught of serendipities and coincidences are immeasurable.

"Holy #$%^! I'll have what she's having!"

Yeah, sounds like it's worth it -
The Universe


That last line was from the movie "When Laurel Met the Universe"... or something like that.

It's no coincidence

True, Laurel, not everyone is "meant to" have their own new, faster, fancier, lighter laptop.

For many, even dreaming of such things is virtually impossible.

Fortunately, you're neither of those people.

And it's no coincidence,
The Universe


Prepare thy way, Laurel.