One of the many things I love about San Francisco is the easy access to nature. The exquisite feeling of the wind, sun, trees, ocean, sand, mountains and why not, our lovely fog. These are just some of the enriched experiences I look for whenever I feel stressed, irritable or mind-blocked.

Last week I was particularly challenged by people and situations around me, so I decided to hike down to Eagle’s Point Labyrinth in San Francisco – its location is full of nature’s beauty. My intention was to walk the labyrinth to find some peace and guidance. It turns out it was not as peaceful as I was expecting it to be. I decided not to walk it, but to observe people interacting with it.

Many  were just there to take pictures, while others were standing at the highest point so they could see it from above. Others were walking around hesitating to walk in, like if they were experiencing some sort of anxiety and some surrounded the walk with a ritual. As I was observing them, I was reminded of the basic instruction – there is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. Sometimes, as it was my experience this time, you don’t even need to walk it in order to get a benefit. By just watching people and reflecting upon them, I learned something.

The most common behavior for people in a rush, with anxiety and somehow showing a judgmental demeanor, was to walk straight to the center. It did not matter the path and the people around, they just walked into the center and stayed there for the time they needed to soothe their feelings. After that, they walked straight out of the labyrinth.
Right there, I had my learning.

All I needed was to go right to the center of who am I. From that loving, peaceful and happy state of being, I can go out and handle challenging people and situations.
It’s so simple yet so complex to carry out.

As Albert Einstein once said: “I am not a genius, I am just curious. I ask many questions and when the answer is simple, then God is answering.”

I got God’s answer.

Let’s have simple answers,

Ariadna