Universal

More than once on this Fabulous Shoe Night "journey," as I call it, I've been made acutely aware of the presence of … the Universe. While I don't plan to get all "New Age-y" on you, frankly I don't know what else to call it. And, to be brutally honest, I find myself down-right puzzled by it.

To be sure, the creation and execution of Fabulous Shoe Night has stretched my comfort zones further, and more quickly and efficiently, than I'd have ever thought possible. Where 13 months ago I was "just a mom," I am now doing things I'd never imagined, from magazine photo shoots to speaking at a financial seminar for women as a community blogger. It's exhilarating and fun, but also scary. Yet through it all, I have always been aware of what I feel to be guidance. Confused as I am by that, there's just no other word for it.

This is where my confusion comes in; I am not a conventionally "religious" person. Certainly not with all the horror revealed on a daily basis in the news about the Catholic church. But Fabulous Shoe Night has made me aware of a spiritual side I never knew existed within me, far removed from any teachings of any organized religion.

All the times I've written about things like serendipity, magic and coincidence, I've also been conscious of something larger and more pervasive. In a recent blog post, I wrote that I feel I'm not as much going down a path as I'm being led down one. And this is doing strange things to me.

Instead of trying to control outcomes and circumstances, I'm more likely now to "go with the flow," sometimes even going as far as to say before large events or new and intimidating experiences, "Okay, Universe, do what you want with this one. I'm putting my trust in you."

By doing this, I've learned that the Universe has far better ideas and outcomes than anything I may have conjured up in my wildest imagination. I have been consistently delighted with the results, and that's incredibly cool.

For instance, virtually all of our growth has been what I'll call "organic," and this was by design on my part. I have never tried to force anything, instead trusting in the timing and wisdom of the Universe. Again, I've never been let down, but instead thrilled and in awe of what eventually transpired.

Now, as we are on the cusp of tremendous growth, it's both exhilarating and terrifying. I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility because Fabulous Shoe Night has the potential to help so many people, so I need to execute our plans in a very careful, painstaking manner to avoid implosion. If you think about it, should things go as we hope, it's feasible to have FSN chapters in every state of the U.S. ... perhaps even every county or even town. That's a lot of local charities receiving money, a lot of people getting help. And who's to say it begins and ends in the U.S.? Think about that for a moment. Chilling, right? Believe me … I know.

So while people tell me all the time that I've hit on some "universal concept" of women and shoes, I've decided not to get intimidated pondering these infinite possibilities and ramifications. In my latest conversation with the Universe, I decided not to be greedy.

Let's not focus so intensely on the word "universal."

Instead … I'll settle for "global."

“The universe doesn’t give you what you ask for with your thoughts—it gives you what you demand with your actions."   ~Steve Maraboli