Signs

Do you ever wonder if there are signs directing us in life? Just like road signs that tell us when to stop, yield, speed up or slow down, maybe the universe sends us signs that tell us which way to go in life. I don't necessarily believe that we are pre-destined to certain actions, but I think that there is some kind of plan out there. It's complicated in my head and a subject that I've always struggled with, but I do think that while we all have free choice, there are certain talents each of us have been given so that we can have a purpose. Some people never realize that purpose, though. So that got me thinking, what is the difference between the people that never realize their life's purpose, and those that do?

I think it might have something to do with signs. Not exactly as in "Lord, give me a sign." and suddenly a gathering of angels appears before you, but more like... well, let me tell you the signs that I think have been there in my life. For example, it is almost 5 years since the war in Iraq began. Saturday will have been 5 years ago that I married J, the biggest mistake of my life, probably. The fact that a war was starting right around a wedding that inside I was a bit uncertain about should have triggered something perhaps. Then, the fact that the house we bought and called our "dream house" burned down TWICE could be considered a pretty enormous sign. I think that the universe was trying to tell me "You are on the wrong path, and it is going to take something really dramatic to get you back on the right one."

I am not necessarily thinking that when you are on the right path, everything goes perfectly, but maybe the universe sort of opens doors for you when you're going the right way. Maybe that's what "Luck" really is... signs. Lately, I have been having dreams about ghosts. Then, my friend T reminded me of one of my favorite books when I was a teenager, "Remember Me" by Christopher Pike, which is about a girl who was pushed off a balcony and died and tells the whole story as a ghost who is trying to figure out who killed her. So ghosts have been on my mind. When I went to look up the guidelines for the story I've been writing, just to get a fresh perspective, the Harlequin website lists a new writing opportunity called "Nocturne Bites" and they are looking for short stories about paramormal things like vampires, werewolves, etc. GHOSTS! I think this is a definite sign that I should write a ghost story. I have started working on it and the ideas are flowing pretty easily. I am going to try to at least write the first 1000 words or so today and see how it goes. I think that all signs point to success here. Maybe all we have to do is be sensitive to the signs, pay attention to opportunity and try to be flexible enough to change and grow according to what feels right and what, no matter how much we might want it, feels wrong.