I have been a searcher most of my life. Since a young age I had the sense that there was more waiting for me somewhere in the world. Where exactly I did not know, until one day my late grandmother came to me in a dream. 

“Go to London,” she said. “There you will find what you are looking for.” 

And since my nan used to be the wise woman of her village, I believed her words, packed my stuff up and left behind the Italian sunny skies. Many years on, I started to realize that what we search is often closer than what we think and I slowly learnt to accept life as she is. I suddenly saw that no quick fixes or arcane remedies could spare me from the only thing she demands of us: living.  

True living life means showing up every day and allow ourselves to be surprised.

Every moment gifts us with the opportunity to discover something new. What we knew yesterday can become a bit more and feel a bit different when we are open to receive life as she is. 

Not easy, truth be told. That’s why we search for something that would make sense of the infinite contrasts we get to experience during our time in this world. Admittingly, some days can be real hard. Our poor mind struggles to catch up with the often-horrific news on TV only to have us, seconds later, enjoying a beautiful sunset. “How can all this go together?” our fatigued mind must be wondering. 

I grew tired of all the searching I did through the years. While at first, I made it my mission to find a way to go through this life without going nuts and having my heart shattered over again, suddenly something started to feel off. I had done all the courses and workshops. Read all the books you can name, spoken to all the big names out there. Only to feel exactly the same as the day before: terrified of being destroyed by life. I literally agonized the inevitable ebbs and flows we all must navigate unless we want to draw into our own fear. 

It was only when I saw how some of the closest people to me offered a wisdom that came from no book or doctrine, that I got curious.

These folks are no searchers but rather “world dwellers.”

They know that no doing on their part will ever stop those contrasts and changes we often dread. Instead, they have learnt to swim through the ebbs and flows and give themselves tons of grace along the way. When they are tired, they rest. If they struggle, they stop resisting. When life doesn’t go their way, they rely on their own wisdom and wait for a better day to come.

Something quite specific happens when one surrenders to true living: the colours around become vibrant. They feel and look alive. Sounds, even when loud, no longer offend the ear. Rather they blend in the background like a masterful symphony. People are no longer just people, when one starts accepting life as she is. They each tell a story that must be told so this world can carry on existing.

The moment my search ended I came back to my heart, and started to write a book. About real people, living true life. I have little interest in those who remove themselves from our human tribulations, but I offer much respect to those who get themselves out of bed no matter the demons they encounter at night. I want to know their story and tell it to the world to celebrate their courage. What keeps them going, when everything else fails? What gives them hope when no much makes sense? And when no God answers their prayers, how do they trust in a new day?

“The Day I found God in a pub,” is my homage to our humanness and my personal commitment to true living. The books I bought through the years are still there, the workshops I have done still serve me well. The candles, incense, and crystals still adorn my apartment beautifully. But they have become part of a living tapestry, which grows by the day and it is made of y thousands of tiny stories. Yours and mine.

And so be it,

Antonia Lyons

Thank you for stopping by, it is a joy to have you here and welcome you into my world.
I am an author & an intuitive storyteller. I work with people who, like you, are ready to live more authentically & insightfully. Evoking Grace  is the “sacred space” where you become a Bigger You & tell a Bigger Story. Here you will hear your soul sing.
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