Stop to Smell the Serendipity

Rowan stops to "smell"
the strawberries

This has been a week full of challenges and ironies. The best part about all of it is not that it is over, but that I was present enough, to actually recognize each blessed moment. That’s not to say I was blissed-out all week, just that my heart felt connected in a way that made me want to sing and cry all at the same time – I felt overloaded with feelings. Brimming with happiness, at the same time drowning in an ocean of tears.

So I write this morning, on the brink of a wonderful celebration at Rowan’s school “the Dance of the Cosmos” where once a year we are reminded of our connectivity to each other and to the Universe. Each graduating child chooses a planet, comet or asteroid that they would like to be, and they actually perform a dance of sorts, moving around one another in planetary fashion. The twins Michael and Sara are the Sun and Moon, Rowan Schultz is the comet “Wild2” – the perfect fit for my wonderful, wild child.

The fact that this week is culminating with such a celebration is ironic perfection. At the beginning of the week, we attended a smaller celebration for Rowan’s graduation and during this time, each teacher speaks about each child who is “moving up.” One of the teacher’s was having a very difficult time – not just because of the bittersweet goodbye that she was making – but it was obvious to me that she suffers from a fear of public speaking. As I watched her shake  (yes, you could literally see her shaking) my heart went out to her and I whispered to my husband “someone needs to get up there and hold her hand,” feeling very much compelled to do it myself. Not two seconds later, the teacher remarked aloud “I really need someone to come up here and hold my hand…” Doug and I were both shocked and covered in goose bumps. There was no way she could have heard me but it is obvious that she felt me. 

So, that’s the way the week started and I should have known that it would be special but instead I dismissed the moment and kept moving. Which is what I think we all do more often than not. The weird thing is, the moments kept happening. Mid week I found myself having coffee with a friend (after struggling through a busy morning and running late). We thought sitting outside the café would be nice but the construction across the street made it difficult for us to hear without screaming at one another. I suggested we move to a quieter place up the street, and when I spied a bench along Front Street in the sun, it called my name. I really needed to sit in the sun – and she agreed so we did.

I was helping my friend (who had recently decided to pursue her passion of photography full-time) with connections to people who might use her services, or be able to refer or help her in some way. About an hour into our discussion, she mentioned that she would like to do some travel photography and I immediately thought of a person who does that kind of work, and is a kind-gentle soul, who could guide her. I said, “You know who you should talk to is my friend so-and-so.” I spoke the words and as soon as I did, I noticed a person on the other side of the street at the cross walk – yep, you guessed it: it was my friend Mr. So and So. Again, I was astounded. Literally – I said, “Oh My Gosh – there he is!”

We laughed, I made the introduction, and we both agreed that when you are working from your heart, the Universe has a way of providing. But for me, this week, it went deeper than that. The “ironies” were literally starting to pile up and each time, I recognized the moment but passively dismissed it and kept moving.

Yesterday, I tuned into a friend of mine on the radio and she happened to be speaking with an author who just wrote a fictional book about forgiveness. Although I only caught the show for five minutes, his words touched me deeply. So much so, that when the radio host offered a signed copy of his book “to the first caller” I started dialing. People who are close to me know that I never enter contests and certainly not radio contests. I think this comes from my former life when I was responsible for developing campaigns and contests to woo listeners to the most popular stations in New York, Chicago and LA – in that role, we were never allowed to enter a contest. So all this has carried over into a feeling that because I am “in the business” I should disqualify myself from drawings. Ask anyone who has attended an event with me and they will confirm my refusal to “enter to win.”

So, I called and a feeling of happiness came over me because I knew in my heart I was going to win the book. And I did.  The irony doesn’t end there however, because I needed a book for my staycation that I had planned (Mom’s mental health weekend away at the beach) for this Friday (today).

So, I finally stopped moving. And let it all sink in. And I started typing (right after picking up my new book) with the hope that sharing some of my personal ironies and serendipities might spark something in your reality too. And that you might take a moment to pause and reflect on these blessed “coincidences” and remember that each one is absolutely meant to be.