I do not believe in manifesting by the power of my good vibrations. But I’m down with free stuff.
My very good friend Anna just moved back to Germany after being my Mill Valley cohort for many years. I was beyond sad to see her go. We had gotten into a nice rhythm lately with our bi-weekly dinners—we both like to cook for other people, and neither of us has anyone to cook for, so we loved getting together and cooking for each other. Also, we both like wine. And laughing. And pretty things.
As Anna was gearing up to move, she started shedding her stuff in order to lighten up her load for her intercontinental relocation. I was the lucky recipient of piles of shoes with girlie heels, a comfy cashmere hoody, a sweet new couch (first real couch I’ve ever owned), and lots of other RLAM stuff.
In return, Anna asked me to take good care of this super shakti womenfyre sculpture she really loves:
So, now that’s in my house. Which is awesome.
During one of our last hang-outs together, Anna told me that this process of moving had provided her with a great lesson in asking for what you need. She was in the position of having to ask for a lot of rides, heavy lifting, help organizing her going away party, and all that minutiae that can be really overwhelming when you move. She was empowered by the fact that when she asked people for things, they pretty much always said yes.
Emboldened by her new powers, she asked one of her wealthier clients to give her a brand new iPad, which he promptly did.
The thing about Anna is, she’s extremely generous, loving, and wonderful. So, she deserves anything she gets, and I hope she continues to ask for what she needs as a life practice.
I, on the other hand, have never really had a problem stepping it up and asking for what I need or want. On the way to the airport, I asked Anna if I could have her iPhone. (She can’t use it in Germany because of AT&Ts fascist monopolistic reign on the iPhone.) Guess who now has an iPhone?
Not manifesting. Just asking. It’s pretty simple.
I totally believe in manifestation and I equally and also believe in poking holes in pious bubbles and pretentiousness which is what I think you do with a certain enviable deftness. Glad I came across your writing in ‘Elephant.’ Love it.
Thank you for this post Joslyn. I’ve been having a lot of mental health troubles lately and I knew I really wanted to move back to my hometown and to maybe move in with my parents. I kind of felt like they should have realized how bad I was doing and that they should’ve offered all this to me. And then I decided I just needed to ask. I asked for help and I asked to move back in with them. And guess what, they said yes.