The Unknown

Numb. Scared. Lost.

Ever since his traumatic near-death experience a few months ago, Neo hasn't felt like himself. At all.

"I just want to know everything's going to be okay," Neo said as he sat at the edge of his bed as if someone was there to reassure him. Frustrated and sick of feeling numb every single day, he screamed out "if ANYONE or ANYTHING is out there, PLEASE give me a sign!!!"

Guess what happened?

Nothing.

Complete silence.

Neo began to feel that daunting wave of frustration creep back up when all of a sudden he closed his eyes and thought to himself, "it probably hasn't even been 37 seconds...I need to be patient."

Then, the second he let his breath out, he heard the faint hoot of an owl in the distance. He couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. His eyes started to tear up and his face began to emanate this "wow, I finally made it' look.

For the first time in his life, Neo was at complete peace with everything.

But let's back up a few weeks here...

"This is the absolute worst I have ever felt in my life. And I have no clue what to do next. I'm scared that if I go one way, it will be the wrong way. So I find myself doing nothing instead. Just waiting." Neo wrote in his journal as as the beautifully shining moon lit up the night sky.

Just waiting.

Waiting to one day be happy. Waiting to one day have the slightest clue in regard to what he should do with his life. Waiting to one day discover the countless blessings and excitement life has to offer.

The next morning, Neo decided to get up early and go for a much-needed stroll through the snow-covered woods behind his house. Possessing a deep love and immense gratitude for nature, Neo always found walking in the woods to be his muse.

"I need to see you," whispered Neo.

But who was he talking to? After all, he did go on his walk alone..

Neo was whispering to an owl. For as long as he can remember, owls have always been his most admired spirit animal. Every time he saw one, he couldn't help but breathe a breath of fresh air. To him, it meant everything was going to be alright.

And most special to Neo, is the memory of a barn owl sitting on a tree branch about 11 feet from where his near-depth experience was. When he came back from being unconscious that day, the owl was watching over him, almost as if it had been protecting him.

So, he walked.

And walked some more...

Eventually, he made it further than he could ever remember previously going. In fact, he would have most definitely gotten lost had he gone any further.

"I guess I have to turn around," sighed Neo, quite upset he did not see or hear any owls.

Neo repeated this every single day for 21 days.

And guess what?

Still no owl.

"What am I doing wrong?" cried out Neo. But nobody could hear him. And he had never felt more alone.

He decided to give up on ever finding any sign of an owl.

"Maybe I'm not seeing an owl because I'm not on the right path...but what am I doing wrong?" Neo thought to himself as he dragged himself back home.

Neo had no idea that later that night, he would cry tears of joy.

It was a full moon that Friday night and the energy was intense.

He had just spent the past 3 weeks searching for an owl so that he could rest assured everything would be okay. All we wanted was the sign he asked for. But the more he asked for it, the more frustrated he became when it did not appear.

So, he "let go" of the desire to see or hear an owl. In a state of desperation, he screamed out "if ANYONE or ANYTHING is out there, PLEASE give me a sign!!!" He was open to ANY sign - not just an owl.

He began to sit there in silence. Just waiting. Feeling that it could be different this time.

Before a single minute had passed, he heard the hoot of a majestic barn owl from outside his bedroom window.

Finally.

The next day, Neo met up with a friend whom he had not seen in over a month.

"So what's new with you!?" she asked him as they sat down for lunch.

"Well, I've learned a lot. But let me share with you this one extremely valuable piece of advice that will instantly change your life for the better," said Neo.

"What is it?" his friend asked.

Neo replied, "don't get so caught up looking for something or always asking the Universe for a sign. Because you know what? You are ALWAYS exactly where you are meant to be. Once you realize that, you stop forcing outcomes and instead, begin to appreciate the beauty in every moment. And that's when the magic starts to happen."