Things Happen For a Reason

Reflecting back over my life, I can see the synchronicity of occurrences that brought me to where I am today. Things always happen for a reason even if we are unaware at the time what that reason is. Eventually, we can figure it out. Have you ever had something happen that seemed like a crisis at the time, yet it pointed you in a completely different direction and you end up grateful that the changes occured? I see it all of the time with my clients. They come to therapy because of a crisis, like a job loss or a break up. Eventually though, they end up on another path which has opened up new and exciting possibilities for them. I have also witnessed people fight the tide of change and make the transition difficult and overwhelming. The more you fight the changes that are meant to happen, the more you feel misery. The journey can be easy if you let it. Life is only as easy or difficult as you perceive it to be. I counseled a couple that were clearly in crisis. The husband was in crisis because his perception was that the possible break up was sudden and out of the blue. The wife was in crisis because she had been telling her husband for years that the marriage was not going well, but he refused to listen. Same crisis, different perspectives. People tune out what they don't want to hear until the changes are absolutely forced on them. Those changes will happen regardless of whether you bury your head in the sand. The decision becomes, are you going to make it easier on yourself or difficult? Your choice. Changes need to happen in life, otherwise people begin deceiving themselves or numbing out. If you trust the process of life, trust your heart and do things with loving intentions, then even the biggest changes can hurt less, harm less and not cause such a huge crisis. People create the crisis because they fear and fight change. Crisis is the catalyst that opens your eyes, wakes you up to what you may have been dismissing or ignoring and moves you in a different direction. Sometimes that is needed! If people listened to their intuition and hearts earlier however, changes could have been made without such a mess involved. When ironic situations or serendipitous events occur, those situations are the universe's way of making sure you are paying attention! You run into people from the past or family and old friends contacting you out of the blue, happen for a reason. Often, healing needs to occur or more lessons between the individuals are needed. I ran into someone from high school seemingly by accident. I ended up being invited at the last second to a party and wham, the universe threw us together. I had remembered that she was not so nice to me all those years ago and as it turned out, she had the same view of me. At that moment we had an opportunity to see each other and ourselves in a new light and to heal the past. We chose forgiveness and it turned out to be a wonderful "chance" occurrence. Everything happens for a reason, but it is your decision whether you heal, forgive, apologize and embrace the moment. Free will is always involved but the opportunity is presented nonetheless. "I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act (Buddha)." Trust the process of life, allow changes to flow more easily and call on your faith and your heart to lead the way when you are unsure.