We do not always create our own destiny
“We do not create our destiny; we participate in its unfolding. Synchronicity works as a catalyst toward the working out of that destiny.”
― The Power of Coincidence: How Life Shows Us What We Need to Know
Everything happens for a reason and the universe knows exactly what it is doing, even if you don’t! I was reminded of that this weekend after my daughter and I encountered not one, but SEVERAL instances of synchronicity on our trip to Kansas City. After six months of preparing, we were finally taking our psycho-motor exam for our EMT license. Due to scheduling conflicts, we had to drive all the way to Kansas City, Kansas for the test! We were SO nervous!! We woke up early and practiced a few scenarios and we were on our way!! We had a bit of trouble finding the building our exam was in, and when we did find it, we couldn’t get into the building! The school was closed for winter break!! Luckily we ran into a really nice janitor who let us in and directed us where to go, We showed up just in the nick of time!! That is where our synchronicity began! When I get nervous, I often start talking a lot, so I was chatting with one of the instructors and I happened to mention that I lived in Central Kansas. He asked where, so I told him we lived in Ellsworth. The woman processing our paperwork looked up and asked, “Did you say you lived in Ellsworth? My son lives there!” I asked her who her son was and it turns out he had lived a block away from me before we moved a year and a half ago. Small world!! So we got our exams over with and neither one of us were confident that we passed it, but we wouldn’t know the results for at least a week, so there was no use stressing over it now, so we headed to Oak Park Mall to go prom dress shopping. That’s when the second coincidence occurred!! I happened to mention to the lady who was helping us that we were from Ellsworth. She said, “Oh, my son-in-law is from Ellsworth.” I asked who her son-in-law was, and low and behold, her son-in-law was my brother-in-law’s best friend from high school!! I’m actually good friends with her step-daughter!! We couldn’t believe that! Twice in one day!! My daughter found an amazing dress and beautiful shoes to go with it all for a very reasonable price!! We even got 15% off of the dress due to there being a tiny snag that was barely noticeable! We left there feeling VERY lucky!! On our way out to the car my daughter asked me if she could go get another tattoo. Well, I wasn’t just going to take her anywhere in Kansas City, but I told her I had a friend who is a VERY good artist and that I would message her and ask her if she could do it that night, knowing full well she was most likely booked. Turns out, she messaged me back right away and told me to come in after 7 o’clock because she had had some cancellations!! Imagine that luck!!! We had a little time before her appointment so I googled restaurants nearby so we could get a bite to eat. I found this place called Haha’s Hub. It looked very classy from the pictures and it was very highly rated!! When we got there, however; it was a different story. The place was the size of my laundry room and it only had two tiny tables with worn out chairs, but we ordered our food and it was AMAZING!! We ended up staying there for awhile because it was warm and we felt safe. The cooks were super friendly!! So if you are in KCMO, you must try this place!! Next we were off for the ink!! My friend Tina did a lovely job on my daughter’s tattoo!! My daughter is a beautiful singer and music is a big part of her life! She has been a member of the Ellsworth Singers for four years and she plans to join the choir when she goes to college next year, so she decided on a music note behind her ear. If you are ever in KCMO and wanting some ink, check out Midtown Tattoo and ask for Tina! She’s a great artist and a wonderful human being! It was still early in the evening so we decided to go over to the Legends outlet mall in KCK to look around. We ended up getting so many bargains there, it was almost unbelievable, but by that time, nothing surprised us!! We decided that we didn’t even care if we passed our test or failed it because we were having such an amazing weekend!! All the anxiety we were feeling about the test and about other things going on in our lives just seemed to disappear. We were just living in the moment. Exhausted from our day, we headed back to our hotel. I decided to stop by the bar and get a glass of wine, so we sat down and waited for the bartender to fill my cup. We mentioned that we had just had the best Mediterranean food EVER when the man sitting next to my daughter exclaims, “Hey, my friend owns that place!” Wow, another coincidence!! We just looked at each other with our eyes wide open!!! It happened AGAIN!!! What are the chances? I just kept thinking about how connected the universe is and how everything happens for a reason. I felt like the universe was telling us that in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter if we passed that test or not, we are on the right path in life. We had a restful sleep and the next morning we were going to go down and get our breakfast and take it up to our room, but we decided to just stay downstairs and eat. While we were eating, we heard this man talking very loudly and we were somewhat annoyed, but the message he giving his grandson was uncanny. He was telling a story of how he had met the kid’s grandmother and all the coincidences that had led them together and he kept telling this kid that everything happens for a reason and the universe knows what it is doing. I couldn’t help but think maybe that message was actually intended for us. This weekend made me realize that I had been spending way too much time and energy stressing about things that I had little control over and that I needed to just trust the universe and focus on what is important to me. Nothing matters except the time I spend with my family. One word came to mind as I was reflecting on our weekend on the car ride home and that one word was “slide”.
“Let that which does not matter truly slide.” –Chuck Palahnuik