serendipity-dooh-dah-day

Oh, Life. You are just full of surprises, aren't you, you cheeky, sneaky bugger? You've got to love the way life sometimes just sweeps you off your feet when you least expect it; knocks your legs right out from under you and then sets you right back up at a slightly different angle, and suddenly your world is just a little different. It can be a scary feeling, I think especially because we humans tend to like comfort, keeping the status quo. We generally like to know what to expect out of our day, out of our jobs, our friends, our life.

It's crazy to me how happening to be in a certain place at an exact time can determine which way your life goes, change it for good or bad. You happen to go to a certain bar and meet the love of your life. Take a different route home and run into an old friend. Transfer into a class and change your entire career path. Step into a car and lose your life. You just never know when and how all the factors will line up to slightly shift your perspective or completely alter your existence.

So along you go, walking down the street minding your own business, when the forces of the universe suddenly swoop in and do their thing. I'm not saying I necessarily believe in fate... I like to think that for the most part we are in control of our lives and make our own destiny. But I can't help thinking sometimes that there must be some sort of deeper cosmic balance that mixes in with the massive web of seemingly random happenstances that shape our lives.

I know that life is full of coincidence and random tragedies, but as corny as it may sound, I also truly believe that the energy you put out into the universe is the energy returned to you, and that when you open yourself up, opportunities present themselves. But you have to keep an open eye and open heart. "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it,” Paulo Coelho writes in The Alchemist, and maybe that really is true. Maybe even when you're not exactly sure what it is you want, the universe can step in with a little nudge and a wink to help you find your way.

This I know: we humans are complex beings. We're used to struggling. We're used to having to deal with challenges, and we have a natural instinct to compete, often viewing life as a game to win or a puzzle to solve. And I think that because of this we often become jaded into thinking that all of life is hard, that everything must be a struggle. We become suspicious of anything that seems too easy or too good, and often make things hard for ourselves. So I'd like to think that sometimes the universe also gives us a little push to remind us that just maybe, occasionally, things can be easy. Happiness, love, life. So goddamned beautifully, simply easy that it just bowls you over.