Good Job By Richard Hughson

I'm wondering if any of you have a memory of trying to get back into your body, which is the shell you reside in, just before waking up from sleep? If you do you might recall how much you have to shrink yourself to fit the confines of that human shell, even though it's become quite familiar to you.

I wasn't aware myself of any of the times I'd done that until my friend Tom Sawyer, who'd had a spectacular NDE, played a joke on me. He asked, “Have you ever gotten back into your body upside down?” It was common of him to place people into positions where they would think they're answering honestly, but in actuality they wouldn't know that their answer was untrue. 

He was expecting me to answer naively with, “No,” which he knew would be untrue. If his little joke worked it would simply be something I didn't understand until my life review. He seemed to know people inside and out from the moment he met them, and got a kick out of doing things like that.

But I went around him. Knowing that he liked to play such games I carefully answered, “Not consciously,” which made him laugh. And it made me think, which perhaps was his point all along.

It took a day or so but with my focus now pointed in that direction I began to think back. I've always had a very good memory, though sometimes slow. I just need a clue or two to get me replaying events. Yes, I came to realize a very clear memory of coming back to my body, although I don't know where I'd been. I was trying to settle into the body, but couldn't fit comfortably. My arms were too long, there was no appropriate place for my head, and my legs were all cramped up. 

This isn't to say that your true self has arms, legs, and all the parts which your shell has. Your true self can be described to be more like a cloud. Over the years that 'cloud' has become very familiar with how to fill and control your shell. You can see this beautiful process take place by watching a baby find it's fingers and toes. 

It took a second to grasp that I was in the right body but upside down. Now imagine how much you have to shrink your 'cloud' down to make it fit into a human shell to begin with, then imagine trying to squeeze it down even more to fit sideways while turning around before finally getting it right. Whew.

That little joke of Tom's was my introduction to understanding something of how our souls inhabit our shells. But, that's not why I'm writing this. I really want to tell you about inhabiting other people's shells, as Tom did to me.

Soon after he finally died for good I'd begun attending a series of weekly lectures on spirituality. I thought they were decent enough, but it's hard to compare anyone to Tom's lectures. I attended, but I was lukewarm about them. 

However, one of the lectures was wonderful. I was truly very impressed and wanted to tell the speaker they had done a good job. Typically the lectures were quite intellectual, all in the head. But this time I could feel the energy of the moment as the lecture was going on. I wanted to impress upon him that he'd done so well.

People lined up as usual to thank the speaker, but who am I to him? I would be just another in the long line of appreciative attendees. How could I get him to understand that that night he had done something special? 

I was pondering this quite strongly as the line crept closer, without coming to any answer. The moment I stood in front of him Tom barged in. Perhaps you've seen the movie “Ghost” with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore? There is a scene where Patrick Swayze's character jumps into the body of Whoop Goldberg's character, bouncing her right out of it in the process. That's what Tom did to me, barging right in.

He came blasting in from my left side and took up my entire body, other than the paper thin remnant of me, flattened up against my inner right side. Tom said, “Good job,” with my vocal cords. Then he left. 

I was a bit surprised that Tom did that. I was already familiar with feeling him surrounding me like a five hundred degree oven; as when he realized I was trying to steal his truck, and when he thought I'd driven on his lawn. So I wasn't in any way freaked out, but I sure wasn't expecting it.

The speaker said thank you then did a double take, looking at me somewhat shocked. I nodded and went on, as if this sort of thing happened all the time. 

In truth, I was satisfied with the encounter. The way Tom said 'good job' seemed to get through to him and, as usual, I learned some things.

First, I learned that such things can happen – in real life, not just the movies.

Second, I learned that Tom will do whatever he decides to do, when it's warranted.

Third, I suspect Tom had a second agenda of trying to blast me completely outside of my body, as in the movie “Ghost” – while I was fully aware of it. I have a strong attachment to physicality. I've only been outside of it during extreme conditions. Perhaps this was one of his teaching moments. If so, due to my strong attachment to physicality I simply got squashed, instead of learning something about a greater freedom.

About Richard Hughson:   Richard Hughson, a machinist by trade, came to understand the many STEs he had experienced since childhood through his friendship with Tom Sawyer. Tom's unique NDE brought him both spiritual responsibilities and the ability to fulfill them. The two remained close friends, traveling the world and goofing around together until Tom’s natural passing in 2007.

Their adventures included healing the Dalai Lama and a healing by Mother Meera. All have relevance and deep implications for personal growth and the future of humanity. Richard shares the joy of his spiritual growth as a healer through storytelling, hospital clowning, and even as Santa. He leads workshops on Healing with Humor and lectures on Tom Sawyer at spiritual conferences and IANDS chapters across the country. He has authored the Heart-Session Meditations blog for 16 years at https://heart-session.blogspot.com/.