Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Synchronicity . . .

One of my favorite posts from December 2010 . . .  You might find it a bit long . . .  But if you're meant to read it, you will . . .  lol  It explains a big part of what I believe . . .  Synchronicity baby!


New Year's Eve is only a few days away .  .  .  What are you planning out there in Blogland?

I mentioned Matt my masseur in my previous blog .  .  .  The story of how Matt and I were brought together is a good one .  .  .  One of those where it's clear to me that the Universe set in motion a series of synchronistic events to get us together, so he could fix my shoulder and then various other body parts that will kick up occasionally (I go the the gym regularly, and work hard, so you gotta know stuff is going to happen every so often) .  .  .  And at the same time, I could help him in a completely different way .  .  .

This goes back to April '07 .  .  .  During a workout, I felt a slight twinge in my right shoulder .  .  .  Nothing big, just a small something .  .  .  During the next couple of weeks, it was still there and getting slighty worse .  .  .  Still, no big thing .  .  .  YET!!  I kept on with my workouts, but was beginning to notice that I was having to work around it more and more .  .  .  By August, it was so bad I knew I had to shut it down for a while .  .  .  It was August 10th, a Friday, and I was standing looking at the pull up machine and thinking, This is completely insane!  Snake had better take a little time off .  .  .  I was leaving for Los Angeles the next day anyway for ten days, so by the time I return, it'll be better, right?  Wrong .  .  .  It actually got worse .  .  .  I was in more pain when I returned than when I left .  .  .

What to do?  I called a physio establishment nearby and set up an appointment .  .  .  Multiple appointments later, many dollars spent, and absolutely NO progress .  .  .  My range of motion is still restricted, the pain level hasn't decreased, and my frustration level is going through the roof .  .  .  Not only that, I didn't like the physio at all .  .  .  She was cold, and I felt, more than a little uncaring about my anatomical dilemma .  .  .  I bailed out of that, and was left wondering, What now??

One day not long after that, I'm sitting in my office at the end of the day .  .  .  Time to go home .  .  .  I picked up my briefcase to leave, and then a thought came literally out of nowhere .  .  .  Why not call my good friend Steve in Oakville?  So, that's what happened .  .  .  Steve answered and we were chatting, and the conversation eventually got around to my shoulder, and my frustration and not really knowing what route to go with it .  .  .  Just at that moment, a colleague named Kristin walked into my office to use a computer, as her's was doing some funky things and was unusable .  .  .  Kristin is a dancer, and is always getting therapy for her back .  .  .  After Steve and I said goodbye, she said, I know a great therapist who does wonders for my back, and I'm sure he can help you .  .  .  I called right then and was able to get in to see Matt two days hence .  .  . 

Sitting in the waiting room, Matt walked out to greet me and take me into the room .  .  .  We've all experienced what happened right then .  .  .  As soon as I set eyes on Matt, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this person will be able to help me .  .  .  You know when the vibe is just that strong?  We've all been in situations like that .  .  .  Matt did his diagnostic thing for about ten minutes, and then said, I know what's wrong with your shoulder?  I asked, What?  His response .  .  .  Everything!  Then he laughed and said, this thing is really f'ed up .  .  .  And then he listed five things that needed fixing in descending order of significance .  .  .  And he started to work right then on making things right .  .  .  Matt promised me three things .  .  .  One, he can fix me .  .  .  Two, it will take at least three weeks with three appointments per week .  .  .  And three, it's really going to hurt!  My God, did it hurt!  He got into places in my shoulder and armpit that had me tearing up occasionally from the pain, but it had to be done .  .  .  This was as deep as deep tissue massage gets .  .  .  The good thing was that as soon as he stopped, the pain stopped .  .  .  Not only did he fix me, but we had some terrific conversations about life and relationships and reality and so on .  .  .  I was able to give him some insight into things going on in his life while he was fixing me .  .  .  So, it was win-win .  .  .

Once that issue was dealt with, I continued to see Matt for this and that, and he always made it better .  .  .  So what is the point of all this?  As I said earlier, the Universe conspired to get Matt and I together .  .  .  Why?  I needed something from him, and he needed something from me, and neither of us knew it .  .  .  That's how synchronicity works .  .  .  I don't believe in "coincidences" .  .  .  I do however believe in synchronistic events .  .  .   And this a perfect example of that .  .  .  What if the thought to call Steve in Oakville hadn't come out of nowhere?  What if he hadn't answered and we didn't have the conversation?  What if Kristin's computer hadn't been misbehaving, and she hadn't come into my office to use mine?  What if she hadn't come in at exactly the moment she did, while I was telling Steve about my shoulder issue?  What if, what if, what if .  .  .  That's synchronicty (not coincidence!) at work .  .  .  Sometimes, people parachute into our lives out of nowhere in a sense, and they end up having a profound effect on us .  .  .  Blindsided by synchronistic events .  .  .  When I meet someone, I always assume that this person could end up being crucial to some aspect of my life, and of course, vice versa .  .  .

We ALL need to open up to synchronicity . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love .  .  .

Ciao!!

Friday, April 13, 2012

The Spiritual Path Comes with No Guarantees

It's been a few months since I've posted anything . . . Seriously, I've not even thought about blogging until last week, when the spark seemed to rekindle just a bit . . .  I knew what I wanted to write about, but was not at all certain how to say it . . .  That, however, was then . . .  And this is now . . . So, shall we begin?  


The title says it all . . .  I've been on a spiritual path for years, if not decades . . .  A few of my friends and family know, but mostly I keep it to myself . . .  I don't advertise . . . My feeling is that people who like to broadcast their spirituality are mostly ego-driven, and really not very spiritual at all . . .  This blog has been a great outlet for me off and on since 2009 . . .


Being on the spiritual path never guarantees that everything will be sweetness and light in one's life . . .  As a matter of fact, since December 2011, my life has been a roller coaster of events and emotions . . .  A lot of unpleasant shit has happened, which has been completely outside of my control . . .  However, what has made it bearable is the spiritual grounding I've developed over time . . .  I'm so thankful for having that to fall back on . . .  It gets me through . . .  The concept of the Spiritual Warrior has always appealed to me . . .  Not once have I thought, Why me?  As in, why is this shit happening to ME?  The more appropriate question would be, Why NOT me?  No one is immune from life's events, good or bad or neutral . . .  And then, all I can control is how I react . . .  There have been times when I've felt overwhelmed, and I have to admit that I've slipped a bit at times and reacted in ways I wish I hadn't . . .  But, that's just being human, isn't it . . .  But the grounding has never disappeared . . .  And for that I'm extremely grateful, because without it, where would I be?


So, that being said, all we can do is Warrior on, dealing with the good, the bad, and the neutral in the best ways we can . . .  Everyone on this planet has challenges from time to time, and some of our most valuable lessons come from those . . . So, even though it's been a challenging time, I'm grateful for whatever lessons I'm learning as a result . . .  And believe me, I HAVE learned a few!!  And we should never forget that everything eventually passes, the clouds clear away, and the sun always rises tomorrow . . .


Life is beautiful baby!


Peace and love . . .


Ciao!!