Good Vibes

I don’t often use the terms vibe or vibin’ in my vernacular, but they came up frequently during an event I attended last weekend.

You’re probably already aware, but it refers to the emotional state of a place or your own emotional state, and, when not modified with an adjective like good, bad, etc. it usually means being in a positive and relaxed state.

I imagine its popularity is due in part to Beach Boy’s song Good Vibrations. It certainly feels like surfer slang to me.

I was invited to speak about my upcoming book, The Endless Creative, at a retreat put on by Hearts Unleashed and it was a great experience to say the least. I’d even go so far as to say it was vibin’.

Funny thing, that word kept coming before, during, and after the event.

The fine folks putting on the retreat used it during a call when talking about what to expect. I saw “Vibes” written on an airport ad depicting three beautiful young ladies having fun together at some night club. No idea what that ad was for.

In the gift bag I got (all attendees got some goodies), I had a journal with the words “chill vibes only” on the front and a mug that said vibin’, both of which were ones that I’d gotten by chance out of an assortment of journals and mugs.

Clearly, it was the message I needed to hear. And I not only heard it, I felt it.

It’s amazing how much can change when you’re surrounded by people determined to keep a positive outlook, to wish the best both for themselves and for the people around them.

That’s not to say everyone was happy-go-lucky, and I don’t think anyone was being fake. Rather, there was a whole gamut of emotions on display and people were quite genuine in how they felt and communicated with one another.

There was a spirit of learning, growth, and acceptance that I greatly valued. And, another beautiful thing, it was among people with a wide range of worldviews and walks of life.

There’s something I mentioned in my talk, something I’ve heard from various places, that has stuck with me:

When you know you’re loved, when you operate out of that love, it changes everything.

There was a lot of love in the room at that retreat and it made a big impact on me and even on the talk I gave.

While I prepared as much as I could (maybe even a little too much), I was also able to let go, trust that it would go well, and not really stress about it.

If that’s vibin’ then I’ll take some more of that good stuff, dude.