The Unexpected Encounter That Enriched My Life: No such thing as coincidence
There’s something kind of magical that happens when you meet a person you feel, somehow, for no apparent reason, drawn to. You know what I’m talking about? The kind of person that comes to your awareness and simply by being there enriches your life? I have met a handful of people like this in my lifetime… people who I can remember the moment I met them, because it felt significant.
Today I met a woman that fascinated me from the get-go. I didn’t know what it is about her, I just knew I loved meeting her. She came up to my booth at the Wakefield Market (where I’m selling handmade skincare) and we just chatted, mostly about skincare. But there was something about her presence that was deeply intriguing.
As we were chatting, she revealed to me that she is a designer. I figured I’d like to pick her brain about the way I have designed my booth. Her perspective was blew me away, and deeply resonated, even though it took me a moment to see what she sees.
What she saw (in my words) was a pure product with great internal value being distracted by the drapes and different colour fabrics. What’s inside my bottles is the best quality ingredients Mother Nature has to offer worldwide. I do not fuck around with what I sell. And yet, the product is surrounded by plastic, shiny drapes that distract from the product rather than showcase it’s nature.
WHOA»»»»»
Because I live my life through metaphor, I allowed her words to penetrate my worldview and noticed, where else do I live like this in my life? Where else do I not notice how I dress the surface distracts from the essence of whatever-it-happens-to-be?
When I got home this afternoon, I began to look into her work through her website. There, I found her blog. Though some of it was about design, so much of it was about her journey with dis-ease and how she is moving through the world. I was fascinated with getting to know the depth of her through her writing. Her willingness to live openly and visibly; to share her journey, her vulnerability. I have such deep respect for that.
As I was reading, at one point, I stopped and I noticed a wave of "overwhelm" moving through my body. So much emotion and it manifested in tears. I put the phone down and had a good cry. Then I went back to reading. As I continued to read, it hit me...so much of her story reminded me of my own. I've moved through similar health issues and I have a similar attitude to hers. I suppose something about our essence matches.
I shared this with her via email, and then I found myself writing:
My path has taken me down a road that was ...highly unpredictable, for me. Getting to know myself, differently, with my pain as a metaphor for my thought structures that held in place that energetic framework that caused dis-ease (IBS, painful periods, addiction, mental illness, etc...) has been an incredibly interesting path. I often surprise myself with how fortunate I feel. Not because "I found mySelf", but because I rejoice in the journey of perpetual discovery ... I love absolutely all of it!
Having met you today was no accident. For a few days now (maybe at most a couple of weeks) I have felt like I must declutter (my physical space as a metaphor for my mind, also). I have taken on a lot, plus being a full-time mom to a two year old precious-breath-of-life boy. Your honest perspective on something as simple as my booth sparked this wave of energy moving that now feels a lot is being / will continue to be released and integrated.
Before asking you for help with my website, I had asked a few colleagues (CODE Model Coaches, not designers LOL) and one of them responded with how overwhelmed she felt because of the amount of writing on my website (and this is after I had simplified it by taking away like four sections!! ...something my previous designer had put in). In any case, there's this metaphor of simplify that seems to be coming up for me. The drapes I'm adding to make things appear prettier may be distracting from the essence, the core of the thing I am presenting to the world.
Just like with my skincare, I know the power of living the way I live. I know what it has done for me, because it has saved my life. I went from believing myself an addict to now knowing I AM the godForce, manifested. I don't know what that means to you, but I figure I might as well tell it how it is for me. I feel I can trust you to honour the depth and complexity of the expression of human that I am.
I love your work. I love what I see. I love how it makes me feel. I love the colours. The dark with the depth, yet "clean cut" in such a beautiful way. I look around me and that's not how my space feels. I feel like working with you in whatever way is feasible would bring more spaciousness into my life...and that, I very much welcome.
So, yes please, I would love for you to help me with my website!
There really are no accidents in the world. Having met her has opened up a space inside of me that was waiting to be cracked. I had been feeling the internal pressure and I hadn’t allowed it to emerge and consume me in such a way that I act on my own behalf. I don’t know exactly what to do, but I know where to start.
Space is such a huge metaphor in my life. Creating internal space for movement and flow is the essence of the work I do. So it is incredibly interesting that I manifested meeting this woman today to remind me: I AM ready.
I am ready to let go of my perceptions of what I think (however out of my awareness) people want to see.
I am ready to let go of the fluff and get straight to the point.
I am ready to integrate less is more in all aspects of my life.
I am ready to simplify.
I ended my email with her how I want to end this blog post:
Thank you for your support today, you've already enriched my life in ways I hadn't expected...and I LOVE surprises that contribute to my evolution!