I just read an article about divine timing that said the universe looks out for us and often diverts us or slows us down so that we can avoid something that wouldn't be beneficial to us.
I remember a morning several years ago when I was trying to get to work on time. In my walk from the subway to my office, I encountered a blocked-off street due to a movie filming on location. (I love to see my city in a movie or tv show, but how annoying when the actual filming gets in the way of my life!) Forced to take a detour two blocks out of my way, I then got stuck behind a group of slow-moving tourists. There was no room for me to move around them without stepping into traffic, but once I got to the corner, I was home free (or so I thought). As I made my way on the crosswalk, a delivery truck started to turn the corner right in front of me. I had the right of way, and each time I took a step forward, the driver inched his truck forward, blocking my path. After about three back-and-forths of this, I stopped, threw up my hands and looked at the driver like, really??! After which he hit the gas, completed his turn, and coasted on down the street.
When I got to work and complained to my boss about how my commute had unfolded, she smiled and said, “What if all of those things delayed you from encountering something that would have been harmful to you?” This was a totally foreign concept to me, and I was surprised she wasn’t more empathetic to my situation. But, I had to admit, it was a fascinating take on that morning’s turn of events.
A few months later on vacation, I was walking down the street at the Jersey shore, on my way to relax on the beach. One block from the ocean, a cat walked out of a house, onto the sidewalk in front of me. I, of course, was thrilled and stooped down to pet the cat and tell him how beautiful he was. After the brief love fest, I continued down the street, then stopped abruptly as a woman backed her car super fast out of a driveway right in front of me without looking to see if anyone was coming down the sidewalk. This time the first thing I thought was, that cat saved my life. I had no doubt.
I guess it’s easier for me to see how an animal, as opposed to a delivery-truck driver, would participate in divine timing…But the truth is, traffic, tourists, and movie sets can all help you on your path just as much as anything else. What if all of those times we got delayed or life threw us a curve ball were actually gifts sent to help us? And here's the thing—if we started to thank the universe every time something got in our way, I wonder what would then get out of our way?
It’s all about the magic. 🙌