Cruising into Denver, Colorado I asked the Universe for two things:
1. Please don’t snow, I really dislike the snow.
&
2. I hope my boy Tyson is free to hang, I really want to see Tyson.
I am happy to report that while there was some left over snow on the ground outside Denver from the week before, the weather was in the 70’s and my time with Tyson proved to be much more than I had ever anticipated.
Tyson “The Big Cuz,” Johnston is a mammoth of a man. He stands about 7 feet tall and weighs around 265 pounds. Tyson was my college teammate at Arizona State University and he was my roommate during my sophomore season, when I battled my cancer. Tyson has seen me at my best and he has seen me at my worst, but he was always a friend and he was always there for me (even though I was sometimes a nightmare when I was going through treatment). Tyson has always been a great guy: He is intelligent, hardworking, caring and just overall a top notch dude. I was excited to meet up over lunch and I figured we would spend an hour together telling old college stories, providing updates on our professional careers, sharing pictures of our families, and most likely making fun of stupid shit we did when we were young – you know just catching up. Instead, what I received from our time together proved to be even bigger than his massive 7 foot frame.
I was about to pull into a parking spot on 16th street in downtown Denver when a car pulled around me and swooped into my spot. Nice…… I just love driving downtown in larger cities (not sure if you can tell but I was being sarcastic right there). The old me would have pulled up next to him, got out of my car, and very nicely (that term can be used loosely) told him what I thought about his actions. Instead I texted Tyson and let him know that I would be a few minutes late as I was on a search for a new parking spot. “I can see peace instead of this,” rang in my ears. After about 5 minutes, because I am too cheap to pay $5 dollars a hour for parking, I found an even better spot closer to where I was going to meet him, and there was even 45 minutes left on the meter.
I hop out of my car and begin to stroll up to the corner where we agreed to meet, when from a distance I see this big smile, pimped out suit jacket, and a designer purple bow-tie. It has to be Tyson, not because of the designer bow tie, but how many black 7ft people do you see in Denver? Duh! As we get closer we embrace with a big hug and share a few compliments about how the other looked (yes ladies- men do this as well). We decided on a great little spot to eat with a patio on the outdoor mall walk, so we could enjoy the view walking by (summer weather in Denver, it is very nice – Borat Voice please).
As we sat down, I started to go into the reason for my trip, the places I have traveled, the people I have connected with, and some of the lessons I have learned. This is when shit got real! Through my journey I have felt this sense of awareness becoming present in my life. Awareness to life, to people, to nature, to experiences, to divine appointments. I have found that when my energy level is at a high, I am attracting the type of people and experiences in my life that I need. When my energy gets low, It has the same impact, just in a negative way: Example: The day before I had 10 minutes of poor me syndrome, when I pull my gym bag out of the trunk and my phone goes flying. It is an Iphone, so guess what happened to the screen? Yeah – soooooooo glad now that I paid for the insurance. Thanks Janet at T-mobile for talking me into keeping it when I wanted to cancel it. I picked up my shattered phone and said “my fault, my negative vibe created this.
Well today my energy was at a all time high and while I was expecting to have a great day, I was not expecting Tyson to start sharing the message that he did.
“We are all one, we are all connected,” Tyson proclaimed as I finished up with my story.
“Hell yea man,” I responded. I was not expecting Tyson to break into this type of philosophy. “I have had this feeling that when I am aware and in touch with my energy, I am attracting people and experiences that some would call coincidences. When they keep happening over and over again, you have to stop chalking it up to coincidences and start believing it is a higher power.”
Tyson chimed in: “I have personally experienced this to a level that blew my mind. During one of my mediation sessions at a PSI Seminar, I was paired with an individual I had never met. I was asked to create a mental workspace “meditation,” and talk through what was happening and share it with my partner. During my session someone close to this person joined me in my “mental workspace.” I had never met this person and I had no idea, but the individual that came into my vision was a past relative who had passed away. I described the person down to the most complex details. How does this happen? It just proved to me that we are all connected and when our energy is right and we are aware the impossible can become possible.”
My favorite actor, Will Smith, in interviews has said “being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocracy. Why would you be realistic? What is the point of being realistic? I’m going to do it, its done, its already done, the second I decide to do it, its done, now we just have to wait for you all to see it. It is unrealistic to walk into a room and flip a switch and for lights to come on, that is unrealistic. Fortunately Edison didn’t think so. It is unrealistic to bend a piece of metal and fly people across the ocean, that is unrealistic. Fortunately the Wright brothers and others didn’t think so. It just seems like such a ridiculous idea to me to embrace the idea that it is not going to happen, that it is not realistic.”
[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5nVqeVhgQE[/embedyt]
Tyson went on to explain how he had attended a PSI Basics Seminar a couple years ago and how the experience has transformed his personal and professional life. He has begun the practice of mediation, he has started to be aware of his surroundings, and has come to the conclusion that we are all connected somehow, and that our energy and actions can have a direct impact on others. For the next 30 minute Tyson went on to share some intimate details of his experiences at the event and how he has taken these and used them in his real life.
- If you want to learn more about the seminars: PSI Basic Seminar Website
Our lunch extended to over 2 hours (I don’t work so time is no issue for me, but Tyson was on a lunch break). During this time we shared the tools we have learned through our transformations. I spoke about what I have learned from mentors, studying, and my experiences and Tyson shared things he learned at PSI and through his real life experiences. We talked in detail about how we want to use these tools to improve our relationships with our wives (if I ever get married), our kids, our friends, our family, our co-workers, and even with people we have never met.
As we are walking out of lunch Tyson looked at me and said:
“I know you are on this journey, but I have a feeling that what you are looking for is right at home waiting for you. Find that thing that gives you peace. It can be one thing, it can be multiple things, and it can also be something that changes over time. Find that peace and use it to stay aware and connected to the universe. Don’t let this trip be the end, use what you learned and continue along this journey. I know you are going to do big things.”
What I thought was going to be an entertaining lunch meeting with an old friend, turned into a reconnection with someone who has already gone through the transformation that I am currently seeking. Listening to Tyson talk and hearing about his stories (his successes and failures) was exactly what I needed to hear. Sometimes I am sharing my thoughts and I am wondering: “do I sound a little crazy right now?” To be honest, I don’t really care what anyone else thinks (wow that is new for me), but seeing a great friend in the same place, a few steps ahead of me in his path to enlightenment, was exactly what I needed to help close out my trip and realize that I am on the right road home. Home to Arizona, but more importantly home to the person I once was and the person I have always wanted to be.
YES, HE MAKES ME LOOK SMALL! BUT I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT I AM WAY MORE SEXY!
ha ha jk! or am I jk?
No responses yet