This I Believe

From Ordinary to Extraordinary

This I believe, no, this I know: life has a purpose, dreams come true and nothing is impossible. I discovered these things in a place I never would have thought to look: a rock concert by Sammy Hagar, former frontman of Van Halen.

In my younger years, I always believed there was more to life than what I saw with my eyes. I had dreams. But survival took over and as the years passed, I found myself in the roles of middle-class wife and mother. Not that that was a bad thing, but there was no time for spiritual aspirations.

In 2003, my husband and I took a trip to Mexico—our first vacation without the kids in 18 years. While there, we wandered into a local cantina owned by Sammy Hagar, who happened to be performing that night. Amidst the bright lights and screaming guitars, I was lifted out of my body in a feeling of all-consuming bliss, introduced to my soul. And God. I saw that despite my faults, my life was perfect; the only judgments against me were self-induced. This was liberation, as I had narrowly escaped alive from an abusive marriage in my early 20s and had nurtured the belief that I was somehow inferior to everyone else.

The spiritual incident in Mexico completely changed me. I began to soar. I was on fire with purpose and filled with a joy I didn’t know I was capable of—experiences like that happened to great gurus and holy people, not middle-aged Mrs. Frumingtons like me. Shortly thereafter, synchronicities and psychic events such as I’d never known became commonplace. My life grew so bizarre and wonderful, I could scarcely contain my emotions, so I wrote them down. I also wrote to Sammy and told him what had happened to me during his concert.

He wrote back. Since then, Sammy has actively participated in this story. He’s also encouraged me to keep writing. As a result, my notes, poems and correspondence have turned into a book that took nearly six years to write. It took me that long to understand that this mystical journey was showing me the power of my mind, the importance of believing in myself and the realization of my long-suppressed dream to be a writer.

I’ve risen above my ordinariness to heights I’d never thought possible. I’ve connected with fascinating influences—authors, Zen masters and those involved in all aspects of the music industry, from musicians who have blown my mind with their hearts and talents, to sound engineers and hundreds of others.

I now have everything I’ve ever wanted and more. I haven’t acquired more “things,” but I’m grateful for what I do have, especially the people who are part of me and this gift I’ve been blessed with. Because of them, I have grown.

I realize that I don’t have to settle for less than achieving my full potential and that I have within me, the ability to make of my life anything I choose.