Serendipity

After a lovely philosophizing filled coffee date last week with a very special professor of mine from college (feminism and self/identity classes to be specific), I got to thinking about the universe and serendipity and the whole cliché “one door slams shut thing” and how it’s truly is the universe telling you to go in another direction. And how synchronicity plays so well into that. How random moments and seemingly unimportant settings can yield the most miraculous of opportunities, or at leas the launching pad for a major life choice, a choice that you’ve been waiting to make, one that excites you even more than you thought was possible. Her examples ranged from having someone recommending the book that is one of the two she is holding and deciding between, to stuff like volunteering as a piano player that led to a job that would allow her to pursue her PhD. My life has been similarly touched by my time working here at the University of Portland. Of course my job has been central to that and not without some growing pains, but more so its been the whole picture, the whole setting of a campus. Interesting faculty and staff to network with, the chance to have coffee with old professors, to help with research, to get a grasp on the plethora of my future, and so much more. Above all, this year has been the time for me to explore my choices and listen to all the different voices and options. Need I mention the million things that I would be so incredibly happy doing in my life (and plan to do several of)? No, because I’m sure you’ve heard about them. :) But the best feeling is the feeling that of not being pressured to find the ‘right’ one, to know that I am not the only force pushing me in whatever direction I end up going. Because I truly believe in the power of those serendipitous moments and often times we get so focused on what we want to do, our next job, the next city to live in, the next relationship, or whatever it is that we obsess about, that we forget to see their magic. And the best part about this whole over coffee realization is to see the uncanny “this cannot be just a coincidence” muscle. And lets be real, serendipity is a great John Cusack movie, so im all over it :)


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