The Unexpected

I'm getting the message lately that you don't need to know exactly where you're going, but start taking steps toward where you want to be anyway.

Others are headed in your direction and when you meet, you'll recognize it's where you were always headed, consciously or unconsciously.

This is true of meaningful things, like jobs and relationships, but it's also true on a smaller scale. 

When we notice the small-scale messages, perhaps it means a larger event is coming.

I experienced this message in two contexts recently. 

When I first bought my current home a few years ago, I looked for a horizontal piece of wall art for my meditation room.

I looked and looked and looked and couldn't find the right thing. I never buy anything if it isn't the exact right thing.

So I ended up with nothing there for a long time.

Eventually I decided something was better than nothing and I bought a mass-produced framed picture of a meditating face and nothing about it made me happy at all. 

I lived with it there a few years until I found some prints on Etsy that I really loved. I'd  bought two prints by the same artist, Helen Janow Miqueo, and was so happy with them, I decided I'd get these two other prints and replace the thing I didn't want with the new ones.

When Helen's art arrives, I always love it more than anticipated. If I could paint, it's what I imagine would come out of me. 

I planned to get them framed but in the meantime, I wanted to cover the mediocre picture with them.

So, I unhinged the back and stuck my new prints at the left and right ends. The middle was exposed and it looked ridiculous, but even that was better to me than the original thing.

While looking for the prints, I'd spotted a cherry tree painting on Helen's Etsy page.

I immediately loved it and wanted it, but I never buy many things at once.

So I waited.

A week. 

Then I thought waiting was pointless and I got it.

It came wrapped in bubble wrap I'd been meaning to get to stack my crystal bowls with.

Helen also sent me an autumnal print, gratis.

I placed it in the middle of the other two.

Two things came to me, unexpected, that I needed.

Thank you.