Serendipitous Connections

Ser-en-dip-it-y. Say it slowly and it sounds a little dippy, kind of funny.

Unexpected.

Serendipity. Say it at normal speed and it has a peacefulness, a flow.

Fortunate.

I love how serendipity has operated in my life. If you do a search on this blog you can read some examples of how. Today I can add to them.

1. At my last journaling workshop only one person had signed up by the morning of. I did not want to cancel because I had various people tell me they may show up. A day earlier when I dropped the dismantled Sunday paper on the table I noticed an ad for a "babysitting grandmother." Although I had not been planning to find a back-up for my mother, I called the number. I told the nice-sounding lady who answered that I was looking for a sitter for the times I was teaching my journal workshops. She immediately began asking me questions and ended up attending that very evening.

As I arrived at the wellness center where I teach I ran into a former co-worker on her way to yoga class. She was grieving the loss of her beloved cat whom she had just had to put to sleep. Being a writer herself, and "coincidentally" having her journal in the trunk of her car, she decided to take my workshop instead.

Turned out the "babysitting grandmother" had also experienced a very recent loss, and together my two very last minute students comforted each other over their legal pads.

2. Today when I took Little Lady to gymnastics I ran into the wife of another former co-worker whom I hadn't seen in over 18 months. We chatted about her fledgling career as a masseuse and mine as a journal-writing instructor. She thought my workshops would be perfect for the residents of the therapeutic community where she and her husband live and work. She took my card and said she would talk to the directors.

An hour later when I returned to pick up Little Lady, my re-acquaintance told me she was so excited by the whole "networking" thing. Apparently after we both left our children to tumble and vault she had run into a yoga-teacher friend at the grocery store. It made her wish there was a way for other local "cool people" like us to connect and promote each other. This got me thinking...

Unexpected. Fortunate.

OK, Universe, I hear you

If you have been reading lately, you'll know that I have been questioning and questioning. My job, career, life... all under diagnosis. I am truly torn over my job - it has some good things going for it (and for me) and some damn annoying things. Some days I come home wondering how the place will keep its doors open one more minute. But then I'll have a gab with the CEO and be reminded why she is where she is and how we keep on ticking.

After my rants I came to a momentous decision: to not make a decision. Yeah, a bit of a cop out, but this has been my mother's wise mantra for many years - when you can't make a decision, don't.

Well, it worked. Over the course of 12 hours I was handed my answer, literally.

My husband - a psychotherapist - came home and handed me a brochure that had been mailed to his supervisor. It was for a seminar in Journal Therapy being offered two hours away and taught by none other than the director of the Center of Journal Therapy through which I am certified as an instructor. Kay Adams personally approved my application, made notes in my course workbook, and emailed me to tell me I had passed the course. I immediately registered for the seminar, knowing (hoping) I would find the money and a babysitter. Although I am not qualified to offer journal therapy at this point, learning and practicing more techniques can do nothing but help my workshops, not to mention the benefit of networking with therapists and social workers. But most of all, I am excited to group journal with Kay as our moderator.

At work today I mentioned this seminar to my boss. She offered to pay for it through my training allowance! (See, told you I'd find the money.) She wants me to teach the workshops as an additional component of the educational program our organization provides to teen parents. As our grant writer I am the one who has to find the money to pay myself for this!

Later in the day, I was on a follow-up grant call and realized mid-conversation that this person could be a valuable resource for me and my workshops. I later emailed her telling her what I do... laying out a fleece.

I believe Serendipity has paid me a visit. This has all made me realize is that, even though I will have bad days at a struggling nonprofit, I was given this job for a reason. Even though it may seem like it is blocking the path towards my real career, it may actually be the path.

I just have to make sure I keep walking on that path.

WEEKEND JOURNAL WORKSHOP

FEBRUARY 28 & MARCH 1
White River Junction, Vermont... Click here for details