Up the Mountain
Once upon a time there were two goats at the base of a mountain…
Truly, this is how I view my life right now, like a psycho-spiritual epic fairy tale of love and power, good and evil, battles won and goats FED. Now who is this other goat, you ask?
Deep in the midst of West Hollywood lives a woman who moves through life with power, grace, talent and honesty. She runs companies and she dances by the fire, takes care of her friends, loves her family, and feels the energies of others deeply. This woman devotes her life to helping others understand themselves in a way some would think impossible. She seeks to elevate the global consciousness by weaving her way into the fold, making her voice heard, and I am WATCHING her do it every day. She is an incredibly beautiful, kind, giving human being. She is an empath of an extraordinary nature. She is Natalia Ochoa. She is my best friend in this world.
I turn to her for everything. When I’m sad, when I’m happy, when I’m lost, when I’m found. She listens. She replies. She’s always honest. She always knows what I’m going to say. She always shows me compassion even when I’m being a bitch. She always lets me finish and then gives me the best dose of two sense. She’s there for me through it all.
She is my other goat. And yes, I say this because we are both Capricorns and we were born a week apart. So here we are, at the base of what feels like a daunting mountain, boots on, ready to climb. And as sure as I’m alive, I am standing there KNOWING I can do this, knowing everything I want in this life, everything I’m working toward, everything that matters, is already happening. I am already climbing BECAUSE she is there with me.
At every turn, one of us is helping the other get over a big rock. When the other is tired and needs a break, snacks are shared. When something scary happens, there is comfort offered. When the next achievement reached, we celebrate each others’ victories.
I’m at a turning point in my life, perhaps a place on this hike where the trail divides… and Naty is there with me. We both know the trail we have to take. We know it will be hard, we know we will come face to face with challenges that would be easier to avoid, we know we will be tested, we already are (damn you, Saturn, but we love you). So we pause, we glance at each other, and without a word, we know we can do it because there is so much power in the love we share. We truly see each other, perhaps we are mirrors for one another. Again and again, confidence and force are regained because of the endless support, the shining mirror.
A month ago I was in an interesting place. I wasn’t being wholly honest with myself. I wasn’t acting in alignment with my truth. I wasn’t doing the work to be the fullest version of myself, but rather shying away from it with excuses, quiet fears and much procrastination. There’s that overused but apt saying, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Well, I found myself on the phone with Naty, as I often do, and all she did was shine that light on the mirror. She was (and is) building her business, building her life based on all her strengths, all her passions, and her deep commitment to growth. I saw this up close over and over, and one night on one of these phone calls, the energy she was emitting just slapped me in the face. I walked away so inspired, wondering how I wasn’t already climbing the mountain with her.
I am so grateful that she’s in my life. That she’s BEEN in my life for as long as she has. I am so grateful I have someone with whom I can be my most honest, truest self. And I’m so grateful that I’ve been receptive enough lately that I could see her, hear her, and allow all the signs to point me in the right direction. Literally overnight (because REM sleep downloads are real and they are not fun), I went from complacent to charged up and ready to go. I am now, as you can see from all the new things I’m sharing, also building my business, building my life how it is GOING to be.
AND I WOULD NOT BE HERE WITHOUT HER.
I WOULD NOT HAVE STARTED THIS WITHOUT HER.
I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THE THINGS I DO WITHOUT HER.
I WOULD NOT BE AS STRONG WITHOUT HER.
I WOULD NOT BE AS INSPIRED WITHOUT HER.
I WOULD NOT BE AS UNDERSTANDING NOR OPEN NOR RECEPTIVE WITHOUT HER.
I WOULD NOT BE AS LOVING WITHOUT HER.
AND I CERTAINLY WOULD NOT BE CLIMBING THIS MOUNTAIN, ACHIEVING MY GOALS, AND FORGING MY CHARACTER IN THIS LIFETIME WITHOUT NATALIA OCHOA. MY GOAT. MY MOUNTAIN. MY CAP SISTAH. MY BEST FRIEND. MY RIDE OR DIE.
I love you Naty. Let’s kick 2021’s ass into the ground and make it part of the trail.