Do you believe in coincidences? Or do you see the signs and realise it’s synchronicity? Things feel like they are meant to be, like they must have a meaning to you and your life. Your surroundings speak to you through signs, ‘coincidences’, déjà vus…
For the longest time I thought my entire life was a series of coincidences. I couldn’t believe the things happening to me again and again, the faces I would see on opposite sides of the planet, again and again! It was a friend I met in Australia eight years ago who asked me bluntly: “you’re not really still believing in coincidences, are you?” I never knew they were like santa claus: a made up tale to settle the magic in children's hearts. I gathered ‘coincidence’ must have been a word invented to explain to unexplainable.
So often, especially during my travels, I would come across the craziest coincidences. More than once my dad suggested for me to write them down and fill a book with these stories starting with ‘I couldn’t believe my eyes when…” or "What are the odds...!".
My Australian friend’s question made me wonder what else it could be. I stumbled upon many different explanations, coming from the mouths of trippy hippies, spiritual books and documentaries. I like to believe it’s a sign from the universe (or however you like to call your god(dess)). To be aware, to take action, to connect.
I’m following a 12 week course from the book The Artist’s Way, and this week she (author Julia Cameron) talks about synchronicity. One of the tasks is to pay attention and keep your eyes open for synchronicity. The day after reading this, my coworker told me about a friend of hers who started a food truck selling French crêpes. How she would love to visit her friend in her yellow caravan and support this new business. I finished work early and went to the grocery store. I took a wrong turn and ended up in a street I had never been before. My intuition was telling me to turn left and when I did, I saw a bright yellow caravan parked at the end of the street. Selling French crêpes.
I stopped to get out and talk to the lady in the food truck. Yes yes yes, of course she was the one my coworker had just told me about. We talked for half an hour about our mutual dream of starting our own business. She gave me advice and a bag full of crêpes to enjoy with my coworker.
This is just one tiny example of a funny coincidence that happened a couple of days ago. Of course this could have been just a coincidence, but when you decide to delete that word from your vocabulary… It can’t be a coincidence anymore.
Call it what you want, but I like the sound of the word synchronicity. It brings me to a state of awareness every time, like I’ve been living in a dreamy haze and all of a sudden someone throws a bucket of cold water over my face: I am awake now okay what do you want? To be present, to read the signs, or just to eat more crêpes.