Before we begin,
Take a moment to notice where you are.
Feel the surface beneath you.
The weight of your body resting against it.
And take one slow breath in.
And let it go.
Another breath.
A little deeper this time.
Let the inhale come easily.
And as you breathe out,
Allow your body to settle.
Once more,
Breathing in.
And slowly out.
You don't need to become perfectly still.
You don't need to clear your mind.
Just let yourself be here for a moment.
Supported,
Breathing.
With nothing you need to do except listen.
There are parts of ourselves we carry easily from one chapter of life into the next.
And there are others we lose touch with somewhere along the way.
Not because they disappeared.
Sometimes we simply kept moving and they didn't come with us.
Today you're going to meet one of those parts of yourself.
Not by searching for where they were left behind,
But by meeting them somewhere peaceful.
A place where they have been safely waiting.
Take another slow breath.
And as you continue to rest here.
Let your awareness begin to shift inward.
Allow the room around you to become a little less important.
As another place begins to take shape.
You find yourself outdoors.
Tall trees rise around you.
With sunlight filtering through the branches overhead.
Beneath your feet,
A path stretches ahead of you.
There is plenty of light here.
Sunlight passes through the branches,
Warming the patches of earth along the path.
The air feels comfortable against your skin.
And the way ahead is clear.
When you're ready,
Begin walking.
There is no hurry.
Let your steps find their own pace.
Notice the feeling of the ground beneath your feet.
The changing light as you move beneath the trees.
And the occasional rustle of leaves overhead.
As you continue,
The path carries you gently onward.
There is something easy about walking here.
No need to decide where you are going.
And no need to find the way.
For now,
All you need to do is follow the path as it unfolds in front of you.
After a while,
You notice more light ahead.
The trees begin to grow farther apart and the canopy opens.
As you continue forward,
You catch the first glimpse of water through the branches.
Follow the path a little further.
Until the trees open completely.
And you find yourself at the edge of a lake.
The water stretches out before you,
Quiet and clear.
The sky opens wide above it,
Reflected across the surface,
And soft grasses grow near the shoreline,
Moving gently from the breeze passing through them.
Stay here for a moment.
Let yourself arrive.
Feel the open air around you.
Notice the light on the water.
Perhaps you can hear the small movement of the lake against the shore.
And maybe birds somewhere along the trees.
You've come here to meet the part of you that remained.
And whatever brought that part of you here,
This has been a safe place for them to wait.
As you stand beside the lake,
Something draws your attention further along the shore.
There is someone there,
Some distance away close to the water.
Take a moment to notice them from where you are.
And when you're ready,
Begin walking along the shoreline toward them.
As you make your way along the shore,
The distance between you slowly closes.
And you begin to see the part of yourself you've come here to find.
Take your time as you approach.
Notice what begins to come into view.
How they appear to you.
What you notice about them first.
They may seem younger than you expected or perhaps older.
They may appear as you remember yourself at another time in your life.
Or perhaps they don't seem connected to you at any particular age at all.
As you come closer,
Notice what it feels like to see this part of yourself again.
Continue until you're close enough to meet.
And then for a moment,
Simply stand together.
Notice how this part of you responds to your being here.
Notice what it feels like to be with them again.
After all,
It has been a long time.
When it feels right,
Join them beside the water.
Find a comfortable place to be together.
There is nowhere else you need to go,
Nothing you need to search for.
You can simply be here together and allow this meeting to unfold in its own way.
As it does,
Remember that you can choose where this journey takes you.
If something begins to lead you somewhere you don't want to go,
You don't have to follow it.
You can bring your attention back here to the lake,
To the sound of my voice.
Or the surface supporting your body.
And you can open your eyes at any time.
But for now,
Stay here beside the water.
Spend some time getting reacquainted with this part of yourself.
Notice what comes simply by being in their presence.
There may already be something they want you to know.
If there is,
Give them the space to share it with you now.
After some time together,
You may begin to feel ready to ask something of your own.
Remember,
You aren't asking them to show you what happened in the past.
You're asking about what has remained here with them,
What may still belong to you now.
So when you are ready,
Ask them,
Is there something of mine you've kept safe here?
Take your time here.
See what comes.
You Stay with what you've been given for a moment.
And when you are ready.
There is one more thing you can ask.
This time.
Let the question be about who you are now.
And what this part of you may be able to show you about yourself.
And when you are ready.
You can ask,
Is there something about myself you would like me to know?
Let the answer come in its own time.
You've had some time to listen to this part of yourself.
Now,
If you would like,
You can offer something in return.
There is nothing you need to promise or solve.
This is simply a chance to speak.
If there is something you would like this part of yourself to know.
Something you would like to say after all this time.
You can say it now.
After some time,
Let your awareness widen again to the lake around you.
The water beside you.
The open sky above,
The trees surrounding you.
And somewhere beyond them,
The path that will take you back.
You still have some time here,
But before you leave,
There is something you may want to ask this part of yourself.
You should know that they are safe here.
They don't have to leave this place before they are ready.
If they choose to stay,
You can find your way back to them.
Or they may be ready to leave with you now.
So when you are ready,
Ask them,
Are you ready to come home with me?
If they are ready,
Welcome them home and let them know there is a place for them with you.
And if they aren't ready,
Let them stay here,
Safe beside the lake.
Knowing you can find your way back to them at any time.
Whatever their answer,
Spend one last moment together.
Say anything you would still like to say.
And give them the space to do the same.
When the moment feels complete.
Turn around toward the path.
As you begin walking back along the path.
You find yourself beneath the trees once more.
Sunlight filters through the branches.
And the lake slowly disappears from behind you.
Continue along the path.
And little by little.
Let the world around you begin to fade.
As you become aware of your physical body again.
Feel the surface beneath you.
The weight of your body resting against it.
The temperature of the air against your skin.
Take a slow full breath in and let it go.
And another,
Letting yourself return a little more with each breath.
Begin to bring some movement back into your body,
Your fingers,
Your toes,
Your hands and your feet.
And take whatever stretch feels good here.
And if it feels comfortable,
Bring your arms around yourself.
Resting your hands wherever they naturally fall and give yourself a gentle hug.
Feel the warmth of your hands.
The gentle pressure of your arms around your body.
Take one slow breath here.
And just stay here for a moment,
Holding yourself.
Take one final slow breath.
And as you let it go.
.
.
Allow this journey to come to a close.
Take all the time you need to return fully.
And when you're ready.
Gently release your arms and slowly open your eyes.
