Phoenix's Understanding - Chapter 13

Phoenix decided to go down to the river. Looking at the water helped her relax. But first, she called her boyfriend and asked him if he was seeing Lila. He said he did not know what she was talking about and asked if she had been drinking. She ended the conversation with this line: “Every time you touch someone else, you lose a degree of me. One day you will understand.” Then she hung up. She saw just how shallow he was!

At the river, she remained in her car and listened to some smooth jazz and love songs, and she sat and watched the sunshine from the pier. She envisioned herself making the journey across the bridge and heading home. “This situation is breaking my spirit. There are just too many negative forces coming from too many directions,” she mumbled. She left the river with a clearer resolve of what she had to do. She had to go.

She returned home and cleaned her apartment and organized papers in an attempt to get ready for her new assignment. The day passed, but as night fell, feelings of insecurity and fear crept in. She had hung with her longtime friend, Joel Goldsmith’s The Art of Meditation, for portions of the evening. Usually, one or two lines from the chapter “Fear Not” helped her relax and trust the process.

September 26, 2026