Whatta Coinky-dink!

One of my friends sent me this email recently, which cracked me up:

"Sooo, per this book I am reading - “The Celestine Prophecy”, the 2nd prophecy is an increased consciousness of coincidences in our lives. This morning, I found an earring I had lost like 4 weeks ago in the parking lot. It was just lying there - randomly. It's crushed and unusable, but how weird is that? It also happened to be one of my favorite earrings, so it really sucks that's it's unusable.....

Give me your conclusions - work those creativity cells...:-)"

Well, here goes...

Dictionary.com tells me that a coincidence is "a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance." That first part explains what excites us enough to give these little happenstances a name in the first place: "a striking occurrence of two or more events at the same time. "Then there's the part that's important: "apparently by mere chance." That is, randomly, with no design or purpose. There are those who say that "there are no coincidences," meaning everything has a reason. Without getting into Calvinism here, I'm not so sure I believe every little detail is somehow preordained. I mean, was it really somehow cosmically significant that I decided on fuchsia toenail polish at my last pedicure? Or that I just heard "Annie Are You Okay?" on the radio on my way home from work? Or that I got a doughnut at QT this morning? (Okay, so sue me!)

Probably not. But I do believe some things are beyond mere coincidence. Some things do happen "for a reason." Last summer I read Eat, Pray, Love, because I was recently divorced, not in a relationship, and over thirty, so it was required reading. Let me just say, the hype is for good reason. I love Elizabeth Gilbert. Funny, spiritual, insightful, and doesn't take herself too seriously. Everything I strive for. For those of you who weren't required to read it, here's the Cliff"s Notes version: Woman in flux travels for a year to Italy (Eat), India (Pray) and Indonesia (Love). And by Indonesia, she means Bali specifically. Travel journal meets spiritual awakening memoir. Good stuff.

Last summer I also moved into my house (which I still freaking love, by the way). The night before the movers came, I read the very last page of Eat, Pray, Love then packed it with the rest of my books. Moving day: I am unloading my stuff into my adorable new home, and I meet the neighbors. The family on one side comes over to greet me with shy politeness, and I know the clipped accent and tawny skin tone right away. They hail from India. Coincidence? Wait. Then the neighbors from the other side drop by. They are a charming couple, full of smiles and warmth, and they too have dark complexions and accents. Where are they from?

Bali. I'm not kidding.

Now, if I told you that the guy across the street came by with some Chianti and gnocchi to say "Benvenuto, bella!" that'd just be too weird, wouldn't it? Yes, it would. Besides, I already know how to eat, thank you. It's the praying and loving I need to work on. And how perfect is it that I am sandwiched between Bali (Love) and India (Pray) in this new place, a place where I will learn who I really am when I am on my own. Coincidence? I think not.

So as for the crushed earring...well, that just sucks. Was the Universe trying to tell you something? If so, it seems like a rather mean message. If anything, it is a reminder of the impermanence of everything, a lesson the Universe sends me all the time. Don't get too attached to these earrings (or that job, or this body, or that man...) because nothing lasts forever. But hell, you could have learned that from losing it in the first place. Why did the Universe have to show you the damaged jewelry? Almost like it was saying "Ha! Guess you won't be wearing these anymore, huh? Mwahahahaha!"

Maybe the Universe showed you the crushed earring so you could go ahead and throw away its mate, since you won't need it now. And hey! Maybe this is the Universe telling you to go jewelry shopping to replace them! Of course, if you read my last post, you know I'm still working on this one.

So that's my take on coincidence. Does every little thing happen for a reason? Probably not. But if we can learn from any situation, does it really matter if an event was chance or fate? The meaning we find in our lives doesn't come from the design or intent of some other entity...it comes from us.

Okay, that's it. I'm all outta creativity cells now. Think I'm gonna go Eat, Play, and Watch Lost.