I was sitting on a crowded bus making its way through the busy streets of Paris when a seat opened up next to a gentleman holding onto a large suitcase. I slid into the seat just as an older woman in her late seventies, dressed to the nines, got on the bus. She made a beeline for us and said “Je peux m’asseoir?” (I can sit down?) her energy intimated this was not a request. On the off chance that I missed that, I noted that her voice did not indicate an interrogative by rising at the end, but rather a declarative statement. Thirdly, her word choice of can instead of may indicated she was not asking permission.

In France, the price of service in a restaurant is included in the bill and the servers are paid roughly about 15% of your total ticket. If you feel the service was excellent and you want to add a little extra, 5% of your tab can be left on the table. I wish I had had this tidbit of information before I ate my first meal out in town. We had a discussion in class about restaurants, ordering and how the French menu is laid out. What we did not discuss was the well-known fact amongst the French that the service is always included in the price of the meal.

I was riding in the backseat of car headed to a D-Day service in Normandy, France when the road narrowed and serpentined through a village. Our speed, however, did not adjust to the new road conditions.

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | Watching a bevy of kite surfers today inspired me to contemplate new and exciting adventures to add to my life!

I recently watched a video of Carolyn Myss discussing how guidance works. She shared how she returned from teaching overseas and walked into her New Hampshire farmhouse only to feel that she could no longer live there. This house had been her home for ten years. Without taking her coat off, in twenty-two minutes flat, she had arranged for a neighbor to help her pack, her brother to fly down and drive a moving van, and asked her mother if she could stay with her until she decided where her next home would be.

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | We all have music that inspires us or gives us a time and place to reconcile our feelings around our pain. I am usually transported back in time through lyrics that speak my heart’s language granting me grace as I feel my sadness. When I heard Ashokan Farewell, I was driven to my knees. This instrumental piece tells the story of the soul’s journey on earth.

We have the potential for growth with every person that crosses our path. Those people that actually make it past our barriers and into our inner circle are the ones we choose to learn with in this lifetime. What we grasp and internalize is up to both parties but make no mistake about it… from a soul perspective, these encounters are our destiny.

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | I discovered a disadvantage to belonging to a third-party phone network that was impacting me negatively, so I headed to my nearest Verizon store to remedy the situation. I arrived at ten thirty a.m. and due to unforeseen circumstances by one thirty p.m. I was reaching my breaking point. It was a Friday, and I was racing against the clock to secure a good parking spot in my garage before the influx of people arrived for our town’s long-anticipated wine festival. Defeated, I left the store waving my white flag. I then noticed a nearby Staples and felt the urge to get a few office supplies. I was hoping somewhere in their inventory I might find a new perspective to put into my basket.

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | As we were getting ready to find a good breakfast place this morning my partner had a fleeting image in his head of his long underwear. He stepped out onto our patio and decided he only needed a light jacket to stay warm. As we made our way down the tree lined streets towards the restaurant, the grey clouds overtook the sun and the small amount of warmth it was offering. Feeling a chill, he then said to me that he had had an inkling earlier that he should wear more layers and wished he had listened.

By Sabrina Matheny • Rumble Contributor | How do you know where your soul wants to take you in this lifetime? I’ve mentioned before that understanding your north node in your astrological chart can give you that information. But what if you have no desire to explore your astrological chart? Are there any other clues as to the soul journey you are on?