Do they though?
I'm a big believer in the old age saying, "Everything happens for a reason" and my wee Granny's favourite, "What and who's for you, won't go by you".
I also believe that every single person we meet or encounter, serves us a purpose of some kind.
Whether it's to teach us something, to remind us of something or to make us see things with a clearer perspective.
I can't tell you how many times I've felt lost in life with nowhere to go or anyone to turn to for advice or to be uplifted and in some way, the Universe seems to provide me with the right person or situation at the right time.
So, yes I think "everything happens for a reason", and sometimes, I never know what that reason is and I frustrate myself trying to find the reason but it's taught me to be open to whoever or whatever comes into my life from that moment on.
More recently, I broke my ankle.
Exactly one week before the busiest working schedule of my career and yes, it sucked. Proper sucked.
I constantly tried to find ways of getting into work but as it so happens, with health and safety and insurance, etc, I wasn't able to carry out my duties as I would have done with the ability to walk on two legs.
It really affected my mood and mental health. I'm fiercely independent so when it came to doing the smallest of things around the house, like making myself a cuppa, or doing the dishes; I just couldn't.
Yes, I could make a cuppa, but carrying it from the kitchen to the living room proved a challenge balancing on one leg and managing to lean on two crutches at the same time.
I was so frustrated and impatient. I hated feeling so helpless and useless.
Everyday I questioned why this had happened at such a shitty time to, (who I believe) to be a decent person like myself. Was karma punishing me? Had I done something awful to deserve this?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Maybe those weren't the right questions to be asking...?
Maybe it was the Universe telling me to take a break from something, or maybe I wasn't meant to be at my work at that time. Which made me seriously think about whether I was in the right career. Which then led on to my Dad asking me the same questions.
I recently came to the conclusion that maybe the reason was to take a step back from my 100mph life and evaluate what is important to me. What drives me? What am I passionate about? What do I want to do with my life?
All very serious questions that I realise I need to take the time to think about.
Sometimes it's the person who gives you a little push in the right direction, even if you don't see it at the time.
Having travelled across the World and back has taught me this too. I don't believe there are such things as "chance meetings". Life is a magical mystery and the people we encounter on this journey are made to teach, uplift our help us rediscover things about ourselves we have unintentionally hidden.
I'll never forget each and every person I have met on my various adventures who have each taught me something different or provided the most wonderful memories I have in each place.
I met my Scottish best friend at Camp America in Philadelphia only 5 years ago, and ever since we've travelled different parts of the World together and (as much as she'll make fun of me for saying this), I can't imagine my life without her.
However, not all of these encounters are meant to last forever. Such meetings were perhaps just a moment in time; to delay us from something bad or keep us there long enough so we could bump into somebody else. Someone more worthwhile that could potentially blossom into something more permanent. Somewhere you least expect it... like a tropical island just off Bali, but that's another story...
Sometimes there is a sense of familiarity or recognition that this person is meant to be in your life from the minute you meet. Not quite "where have you been all my life?", but more, "Oh. It's you".
When I was younger, (much like everyone else), I had a vague idea of what I wanted and where my life was going to go.
Lets all laugh, shall we?
Someone I met in Laos (one of those short encounters but such a lovely human being) told me "No plan is the best plan", and I think I really needed to hear it then, and I replay it to myself every so often now, because it's true.
Life is what happens when you're busy making plans, and yes, even though it's nice to have some rough sort-of plan but allow for some wiggle room, just-in-case!
Stace x
