That Time The Universe Walked Into a Bar...
I have a friend who read my first book, Drinking Was Definitely Involved, and afterwards said to me, “I think you are the type of person that listens to the Universe.”
He is correct, I do listen to the Universe, or God, or my gut feeling.
Side Note: When you have a gut feeling, it really is the nerves in your stomach communicating with your brain as they process current and past experiences. With that said, and the size of my gut, my stomach should be throwing out winning lottery numbers like rice at a wedding.
There are also coincidences, which is seemingly random events with no apparent connection.
Or, as a friend from my hometown often cites Carl Jung’s idea of Synchronicity, or ‘Meaningful Coincidences’. This is where events appear random, but have a meaningful connection to the individual involved.
Not sure which one this is, but let me tell you a story.
A friend of mine’s Mom passed away a while ago, and eventually had an estate sale at her mom’s home.
I stopped in on my way to Pennsylvania, not with the intent to buy anything, just say hello to some friends who were there to help her out.
By the end, we started to separate items into piles to be donated to local charities. I helped for a while, but before I left, my friend who lost her mom looked at me and said, “I want you to take a walker.”
I know I look old, but I can still walk.
It took me a second to realize why she said that.
She knew I volunteered at a thrift shop that raises money for a special needs hospital and school. She gave me two walkers (one still had the tags on it) to donate to the shop.
I took them, but knew there might be a problem.
Fortunately, the thrift shop has so many donations in the summer they stop bringing in new ones because there is simply no place to store them.
Unfortunately for me, I now had two walkers stashed in the back seat of my car with no place to go.
Or so I thought.
Went out for drinks with my friend Joe, who is an active member of his church. I asked him if maybe his church would take the walkers.
His reply?
“My church? Well, maybe your church would take them.”
So, the next day I went to my church and spoke with my Pastor. She said the church could not take them, but she knew of a few organizations she would reach out to.
I told her if the thrift shop I volunteer at does not take the walkers, I will let her know.
After I left the Pastor, I grabbed a breakfast sandwich and a coffee and headed to Duke Island Park in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
I used to walk this park almost every day. However, over the last year and a half, I rarely came here to walk anymore let alone sit in my car in the parking lot to eat a pork-role-egg-and-cheese-sandwich-on-a-roll-salt-pepper-ketchup (It’s a Jersey thing).
So it was fortuitous that at that moment I saw a group of people, all who walked towards a small mini-bus using, well, walkers.
With two walkers wedged in my backseat, I drove over and parked near the bus. I went up to the one woman not using a walker.
“Excuse me,” I said and when she turned around I gave her a quick rundown as to why I was here and ended with, “I have two walkers in the back seat of my car, one still has tags on it, do you want them?”
She smiled, “Yes, yes we do. Thank you.”
I handed over the two walkers as several people thanked me for the donation.
So no thrift shop, no church (mine or Joe’s), just the direct delivery of the walkers to people who actually needed them.
On my way home I thought of all the chess pieces that had to be moved to put me in that spot, with medical equipment in my car, next to a group of people who could immediately use them.
Just a few days prior, none of this was anywhere near my radar.
Not really sure what category this all falls under.
Coincidence, Meaningful Coincidence, Synchronicity, a gut feeling, the Universe, or God.
But, whichever one it was that led me to be in the right place at the right time in this instance I ask one favor…
...going forward, how about arrange a second date for me sometime in the future?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash
