I'm always interested in hearing how people ended up meeting the love of their life. Some stories are simple; "We met in high school, and even though everyone thought our marriage wouldn't last, we're now celebrating forty years together." Some stories are a little more complicated; "We met in college, dated for a while, and drifted apart. We married different people, and we both ended up divorced. Years later, we ran into each other, couldn't remember why we broke up, and now we've been happily married for ten years." Each time I hear how events played out for two people to fall in love, it makes me wonder if there isn't some magic, destiny, written-in-the-stars kind of thing that must exist.
We've all heard this phrase repeatedly, "The Right Place at The Right Time." It's the answer to finding our one and only and for many other unexplained happenings in our lives. The career path that takes a sharp turn, the group of friends we seem to fall into, and meeting the mentor who helps us find success. Everyone has a story of their challenges, seemingly unsurmountable hurdles, and finally realizing their goals. Yet, these stories have one thing in common: the leap of faith we committed ourselves to take. One of my friends met her husband-to-be on a blind date that neither one wanted to go on. (That, my friends, is a leap of faith.)
Stepping out of what we know, our routine, our comfort zone, and taking a chance to do or try something new, and BAM, suddenly (at least it feels like suddenly), our eyes are open to unique possibilities. Of course, it's not easy learning how to sew, drive a car, or play an instrument, but even if we don't excel, we've gained experience by doing it. (Except for the part about driving a car, you really should learn to do that well because of the life and death thing, so keep practicing in the parking lot).
The more we strive to keep learning and growing our knowledge base in different subcultures, the more people we can relate to. My advice; travel to another city or country, take a course outside your realm of expertise and make new connections. We become more well-rounded, which in turn, gives us more opportunities to create our destiny. My mom and dad met each other while on vacation in Florida. My mom was from Indiana, and my dad was from New York. Luckily for me, they both decided to give Miami a try.
Maybe our paths are already planned, and our fate is predetermined, but I believe in free will. I think our choices in life are ours to make. We may get knocked down a few thousand times, but we learn how to get up, and it's those experiences that make us who we are. People show up when we ask for help, and some leave when their work is done. It's the unexpected that keeps us wanting to know what today will bring and give us hope for the future. I met my husband at a magic convention. I didn't see that one coming.
If you want to hear my story of meeting my husband, please click on this link: Magic Happens