Never once did I dream as a child that this would be where my life would take me. Yet when I reflect on all the twisting and winding roads I had to take to get me to where I am today, I am absolutely certain I am exactly where I belong, exactly at this moment.
Life is a funny thing. How many times have we heard or said that? It's the phrase that I use when there is just too much to say about how truly amazing all our lives our, and how perfectly orchestrated every single moment is, some precious moments that we are aware of, but mostly moments we walk through every day with complete obliviousness.
It is not wrong or bad that we live our lives this way, for if we were fully aware of how perfect and precise every moment of our lives were, it might lead us to a kind of life paralysis and keep us from walking freely and genuinely through our days.
I recently experienced some frightening events where had I not arrived where I did exactly at that given moment, tragedy would have occurred. My daughter was moments from drowning when I turned the corner and heard her gurgling, desperate calls for help. Time stopped and all I remember was sitting on the edge of the pool in my wet clothes and shoes, rocking my crying daughter and telling her "Everything's OK...everything's OK." But in my mind, nothing was OK, and I went through a thousand scenarios of "What ifs?" and how in just a second all our lives could have been devastated. But I ended on "Everything is OK." This is when I realized...again...that there is a higher power and we have greater instincts than we think and that every moment we're in is the right one.
This was just a scary reminder that my life's purpose is to simply "be," for I will never question the divine perfection of what seems like my imperfect life.
An elderly man said some kind words to a friend of mind who recently lost her beloved grandfather. He was sitting next to her on the airplane, a total stranger to her, a stranger who realized he was sitting next to someone who was in pain an needed a bit of comfort. Did he know on that day he woke up that he would be sitting next to my friend on the airplane, and be the only one in the world who could talk to her as if her own grandfather were? These were only a few moments from his day, moments that he has probably already forgotten, but moments that my friend will never forget, moments that healed her in a way that no one else could have. I tell this story to my kids and remind them that every day is special, and there is not a kind word that goes wasted. I am reminded to be mindful of my interactions, for I never know who will cross my path next, and how our lives might be intersecting for important reasons. This is my mindset now, and the mindset I wish for my children and everyone to be in always.
Friends, our lives are an incredible gift and our words are powerful things. Be mindful of what you say today, and all days, for your words and deeds could be what heals someone, what helps lift someone, what gives someone hope, and what may be the only bright spot in another's day. You are exactly where you are supposed to be and others who come into your life are exactly where they are supposed to be. Our lives are a beautiful and perfect dance that can only be seen when you pull your mind far enough away to look at your life from a completely new point of view.
Ah....the dance of life. Beautiful.