Goddess of the Week: Tara

Gabriel Cordell needs a goddess. It only takes an instant to change your life, and in Gabriel's case, that instance left him paralyzed. He was an actor on the move until a driver ran a red light. Now Gabriel is in a wheelchair.

As you read this, Gabriel is rolling across America. He started in Santa Monica, CA. He will end in West Hempstead, NY, just in time for his high school reunion. He aims for twenty-plus miles a day. That's 75 Days.

Why is Gabriel doing this? Because he can. Because it's awesome. Because if Gabriel can roll his wheelchair across America you can certainly lose those five pounds you've been worried about, or write that novel you have inside you, or get through that freaking nightmare you're enduring.

We need heroes. Gabriel is being a hero and proving to himself and others that the adventures don't stop when your life gets derailed. In fact, sometimes it's the derailment that really gets you moving, and so, of course, he needs a goddess! I am giving him the Buddhist goddess Tara. Tara protects navigators and travelers, and it seems to me you need help with both if you are going to roll across the country.

As a Buddhist goddess, however, Tara is also all about compassion and relieving suffering, and what a perfect thought for such a journey. Twenty-plus miles a day. Seventy-five days. Man. Talk about your blisters and your sunscreen, and those are the easy pains! Think about the endurance, the self doubt. I mean all that rolling: that's a lot of time to think about things.  You're bound to have good days and bad days, but you just have to keep the tires spinning. That's really where you have to cut yourself some slack and just be kind to yourself.  Spin and be kind. Repeat, and repeat, and you will make it to wherever you are going.

Go Gabriel! We're rooting for you. Learn more about Gabriel's journey and how you can help at Rollwithme.org. 

Channel this goddess: When you are tired of spinning. When your inner critic is being a real bitch.

Need a goddess? I got goddesses! Post a comment explaining what you need a goddess for. Then check back in a week or two and see what you got. It's fun! It's free! It is way easier that rolling across America.

PS: My amazing friend Yvette is coordinating some of the logistics for Gabriel. Why? Because that's who she is, baby. That's the way she rolls.