Go With The Flow

I’m a big believer in fate. Not that I don’t think we have control of how our lives go, I just think that there is a place and time for everything to happen (whether you like it or not) and by going with the flow, you often end up where you should instead of fighting the current and getting no where. And I do believe in fighting, but sometimes you’re meant to fight and sometimes you’re not.

This whole house thing has been one surprise after another – good surprises – which was a surprise in itself. Things have just flowed. I decided one day I wanted a new house and found one I liked rather quickly at a price I could afford. I got approved for the loan easily. I had to work hard to get my house in good shape, but it turned out nice and the first people that saw it agreed. I wasn’t ready to show the house really, but if I hadn’t, I would’ve missed them and they wouldn’t have gotten the house they really wanted. They wanted to close earlier than I wanted to, which means apartment living for a few months, and yet when I cruised by my previously vacant lot yesterday, there was a house on it! Framed, roofed, everything. It’s a long way to go still, but the 2 month estimate on completion will take me right to when I close on my current house so I may not need an apartment at all! The inspection was quick with only a few minor fixes. Its just like I was meant to do this.

This happens in my life a lot. I think I was meant to go to college where I did and meet the people I met there. I think I was meant to move to Alabama, which I did on a whim, because I met DB, the Playfriends and the Mavens. Without them, my writing might have stagnated and I might have given up by now when the work got lonely and hard. My life would be so different without having done that – as would my mother, who’s married and had Little Sister since we came here. Even horrible things, like car wrecks where no one was seriously hurt, somehow lead to things getting better – a newer, better car.

For the most part, I am aware of this force in my life and I do my best not to fight it because things turn out the way they should. The hardest part is to accept it with regard to my writing. Of course, I work hard to be published and I feel in my heart I will be someday. I try not to get too discouraged by a rejection telling myself – well, maybe that wasn’t the editor or publisher for me. Maybe the timing isn’t right – I’m not ready yet. Yeah, I tell myself that, and maybe twenty years from now I can look back at these struggles and say it all worked out fine. That it happened when it was meant to and I was ready for it to happen. But it doesn’t take the sting off of all the setbacks and detours.

I've had so many pleasant surprises that I'm going to offer one myself today to a lucky blog reader. Comment on the blog today and tell me about something you're waiting for fate to bring along. The big sale? A new house? A vacation? A wedding? A grandbaby? I may not be able to get you what you're hoping for, but maybe I can come up with something to help you pass the time waiting. And no, not a Sudoku book... :)

SP