“Even if we have ourselves so fully convinced that we are on the right track because we desperately want to believe that the specific direction we have chosen is the “correct one”, if the universe disagrees with our choices, it will not be shy in telling us so.”
― Miya Yamanouchi

Signs are here for a reason…

No matter the signs we find along our paths, it seems we are all blind to them at times.

Whether this be a stop sign that we casually run through while deep in thought, or my personal favorite, the out-of-order sign that EVERYone seems to disregard, we as humans have a tendency to overlook the obvious, and to over-complicate the simple.

We are given signs all of the time.

From the very subtle hints of our children that we later understand were cues to engage, to huge red flags that scream PAY ATTENTION, these signs permeate our lives.

The universe also gives us signs. And, it is a language that only we may understand individually. These signs all serve as guideposts; reminders that the universe is all around us, paying attention even when we aren’t.

In this strange sphere, the signs are only significant to the observer. Simply put, the number 444 or 2424 may bear no significance at all to anyone else on the planet but me. And rightfully so, because the universe interacts with us all in a myriad of ways.

Not one method is like the next.

Sometimes it’s a number, or a series of numbers. Sometimes it’s a word or the name of a person that you hear at the most random times.

Sometimes, it’s the name of a town written on a sign in a place you’d never expect.

But sometimes, we are given a puzzle that we must figure out. A sign seems placed there for a reason, making us stop and think, then we ponder and wonder. And then we do it a bit longer. And there again we come to the fact of our basic human tendency to over-complicate the simple.

We must learn to breathe in our first feeling, our first instinct, when reading the signs; for this is generally always the right answer. We must trust ourselves and our interpretation.

The way I see it, and from my own experience, if the universe wants you to know something important you’re gong to hear about it. And, the universe can get very loud. It can be so loud in fact that you cannot possibly ignore it. Yet, we so often drown out this noise with all of our other important “stuff.”

And that’s when chaos starts happening.

You’ve done it. You’ve pissed off the universe.

It was trying to show you something. And it tried for a whole year. Well, now it’s time to learn the hard way.

And we all know the hard way is no fun…

So you ran that stop sign while daydreaming and you T-boned a Beamer, now you have problems, and whiplash. Or, you disregard that out-of-order sign and drink from the water fountain anyway, only eight hours later you can’t get off the pot and then you wonder why.

You get the point.

PAY ATTENTION

I was given a sign the other day that was entirely too surreal to ignore. Now, this isn’t something that happens often. And, I am not one to believe in coincidence. But nevertheless, at the most random of times, seeing this sign gave me promise in my endeavors, and a reason to attend more diligently to what I’ve recently embarked upon.

Currently, I’m working on a book, something that I feel very passionate about sharing. And as I’m collaborating with a few others, I’m forming a lot of the text on my own for now while waiting on my fellow contributors.

But at the heart of this manuscript lives an idea, a simple thought that I’ve explored and worked into a thesis, and it all has to do with a specific part of my childhood.

This part of my childhood bears the most significance to me because it’s where my greatest memories are kept, and it is truly when I became myself. My personality had formed, and it was pure. Free from critical self-awareness, free from ego and free from worries of the world. I became the person that I have been trying to find ever since that time, over thirty years ago.

During this part of my childhood I lived in s specific neighborhood, and in this neighborhood I had a special area where I’d form my fondest memories.

In this area, a particular grove of trees that I adored was flanked by two streets.

The other day, prior to jumping back into my manuscript, I was looking through google maps to pinpoint a few locations in the old neighborhood and give the old memory a jog. And as I followed the road from my former house with my finger I came upon the area where I spent most of my days.

I then found that the two streets are named for the town I currently live in, and a town just thirty minutes south of me where I happen to spend a significant amount of time.

Now many would say that this means nothing. But I know it means something.

As do all the signs we see.

And all I can say is that I felt that all is well, and that all will be well when I noticed this sign. So, I’m leaving it at that. I’m leaving it simple. I’m just happy that I was given that pearl to witness, because it is truly in the subtleties where we find our greatest truths.

In the meantime…

Pay attention to the signs you’re given, as subtle or as bright as they might appear.

And, perhaps the signs aren’t so complicated. Maybe, they’re simply telling us that we’re right where we need to be.

For now.