Coincidences – there aren’t any.  Ask Sigmund Freud. He maintained that the sub conscious mind precipitated the events we labeled as accidents or coincidence, ie, we wanted this to happen and thereby unconsciously made it so. Makes sense. I’d rather believe that than the notion that we wander aimlessly through life waiting for events to happen.

There are some who would say we are the makers of our own destiny, and I believe that to be true, to a point. Positive energy breeds positive outcomes…..but the outcomes may not necessarily be what you expected. Negative energy fosters a negative environment which in turn cannot help but result in negative outcomes. (here’s where the power of positive thinking really does come in to play)

We all have a purpose in this world; a path to walk, and there are certain things we are meant to accomplish. When and if, we stray from our path, destiny intervenes to get us back on track, by whatever means necessary.

That ‘random’ meeting in a grocery store that puts you in front of someone who prompts change in your life; a friend from the past who re-enters when you need them, a job opportunity – these are not ‘random’ at all. These are perfect examples of destiny (or your subconscious mind?)  redirecting us so that we fulfill our intended purpose in this life. Sometimes the coincidence  can even be interpreted as divine intervention because there’s no ‘logical’ way to explain it.

Many years ago, when I was a young mother I had an experience that got me thinking about destiny and chance meetings. I walked my 3 young children to school one morning and planned a long walk for myself through some local nature trails. I worked noon till 8pm those days so I had just enough time to get in my walk, shower, and get to work, and I was excited for the time alone outdoors. As I approached the entrance to the forest trails I noticed a young woman wandering aimlessly, looking quite lost. Typically I don’t engage strangers in conversation but something about this woman called out to me and I felt compelled to ask if she needed help.

Her speech was slow, almost dreamy, and she had an accent I couldn’t identify but she seemed harmless enough. She mentioned she was looking for a specific address where she was to commence employment as a maid. I recognized the street name right away and casually knew  the family that resided at the address, but as I started to give her directions I realized she wasn’t at all familiar with the area and likely wouldn’t find it. I thought longingly about my nature walk knowing if I walked her to where she needed to be I’d be too far from the entrance to the trail and wouldn’t have the time to get my much anticipated walk in. I felt compelled to help her find her way. I don’t know why – maybe it was the good samaritan in me but I grudgingly took her by the arm and started walking her in the opposite direction, away from the trails.

When I reached the corner of the street, I pointed out the house she was looking for as it was now within view. Satisfied I’d done my good deed for the day, I wished her well and turned to head home, still begrudging my lost walk. A few moments later I turned back to look in her direction only to see her walking quite confidently in the direction of where we first met, well away from the house she claimed she was heading to. Puzzled that someone would engage the aid of a stranger for no good reason, I glanced up again but she was gone, and I mean gone. There was no building into which she could’ve entered, nor was there any path or walkway she could’ve taken that wasn’t within view of me. I scanned the intersection but she was nowhere in sight. I thought the whole event odd but realizing I needed to hustle home to get ready for work, I put it out of my thoughts.

The next day I heard on the radio that a woman was viciously attacked the day before, on the very path I had planned to walk that morning. I knew by the description the victim was not the woman I met and I knew in my heart she was, in fact, my savior. Had I not met her and felt compelled to walk her to her destination, I would’ve been on that trail when the attack occurred.

Was it coincidence that I met this woman or was it divine intervention? Could it be the two are actually one and the same? I can’t answer that but I firmly believe that every encounter we experience is intended and serves a purpose. My meeting with this mysterious woman was not chance or coincidence. It was meant to keep me off those trails, that morning – it was destiny.

Since then I’ve made it a point to pay attention to the chance meetings or coincidences in my life and I’m very comforted to note the consistency of the outcomes. Everything happens for a reason and we need to consciously review the situation to find that reason. Follow your gut instinct. Take a closer look at your intuition and you may find there’s a correlation between those ‘messages’ and how your situation unfolds. Above all else, take comfort in the knowledge that we are not alone. Whether it’s coincidence, divine intervention or mere chance, we are guided by something/someone. We just need to pay attention to the signs and trust that they are intended to help us.

Further to my encounter with the mystery woman, a few days later when I was picking up my children from school, I met the woman who lived in the house she had been heading to for employment. I asked her how things were working out with her new cleaning lady and she looked at me, surprised and said, “I don’t have a cleaning lady, never did.”