Funny how things happen sometimes, totally out of your control, but almost as if you’d planned them.
What am I talking about? Well, last Sunday, as many of you know, I sold that Dodge Challenger I’d been hanging on to for ten years, thought about what it had meant to me, how it felt to let it go… a lot of things actually.
So today, after hanging on to a piece of property in New York (you remember, North Bay?) for at least as long, but trying to sell it for at least the last 5 years…. Guess what, it’s SOLD!!
You see this is the absolute, last item my ex-wife and I still jointly own(ed)… It was one of those things that remained, we’re to split the proceeds equally and so on, but it was a reminder of that past chapter of my life, at least 3 times a year. Twice when the listing would need to be renewed, or the broker changed, and once when the taxes arrived.
I’d wanted to get rid of it, hoped for the cash out of it, needed the cash on several occasions… but no matter what I did, who I listed it with, it never seemed to move. I can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve kicked myself for not taking the offer we got shortly after we moved to North Carolina, but, you can’t live in the past.
A year or so ago, my wife (RealLady) and I took a trip to NYS to visit my Mom and the family, and on our way home we drove up past the old place. I actually understood why that piece of property hadn’t sold, the entire other side of the street had been sold off! I discovered that those lots were priced substantially lower, than the one I had (they were smaller).
So, I'd waited, patiently… and nothing, year after year, nothing.
Then, yesterday the ex-wife calls and says we have an offer, but they want us to pay for the survey. I tell her to go ahead and accept with a ‘counter’ that they pay for the survey. Well, then we’re into this whole discussion about how the realtor told her the other party had already upped their offer to cover the survey (I’m thinking they offered less than we were asking, so how’s that “upping” the offer??)…
Long story short, I finally convince her to make the counter offer, between questions of “What if”; they skip on the whole deal, don’t accept our counter… etc, etc… I tried to explain that they’d take the counter, that they’d put in the part about us paying for the survey, to allow us to save face, accept their lower offer but, they’d have to pay for the survey… She’s not completely sold, but, to her credit, she gave it a shot.
The other folks accepted our counter so fast it almost made me wish I’d countered with more money, and, they pay for the survey… but, I am happy it’s being sold, we should get the paperwork tomorrow, overnight it back and close in a few weeks.
Now, I (we) really will have enough money to re-grade the driveway and put in the patio we’ve been planning and dreaming about.
I know this may sound strange, but I have this partial belief that the ‘Universe’ brings us things only when we’re ready for them. Is it all just strange coincidence, or, did the act of selling the Challenger set off some bizarre cosmic ‘trigger’ that got the land sold too?
Ok, so I know, in my logical brain that it’s all just coincidence... or do I? Have any of you read any of Dr. Wayne Dyer’s stuff? In several of his books he talks about the ‘Universe’ and how it pays back each and every good thing you do, with interest, at exactly the moment you need it (and least expect it). I don’t know if I entirely buy into his whole thought process there, but, I’ve experienced enough ‘strange’ things in my life to know it’s at least ‘possible’.
So… I’m sitting here today, between runs of the POL utility and string matches of the data Duns returned on Tuesday, pondering this sequence of events.
Speaking of the POL, it’s a pretty lean little utility, but when processing a quarter of a million records and making six evaluations per record, it takes about an hour on a slower Pentium 4 to run through the data. I’m going to rerun it later today on a 3.0Ghz P4 and see what the elapsed time difference is!
But I digress… (that's what happens when I work and blog) This whole occurrence seems almost like a dream, I’ve had that land so long that I began to ‘justify’ still having it by entertaining a dream of building another small “Home in the woods” and returning there to retire… I say ‘entertain’ because, in reality, when and if I make it to retirement, it will most definitely be spent somewhere South of the Mason-Dixon, below the Snow-Belt for sure!! (I've promised myself that barring the arrival of a new ice-age, I'm never shoveling snow again)
So I’m throwing it out there, what camp are you in? Coincidence? Cosmic trigger? Or some other bizarre twist of fate I hadn’t thought of?
As always, thanks for reading, your comments, thoughts and impressions are always welcomed!
16 comments:
Congrats on selling the property!!
Thanks! I suppose it's as simple as that.. it sold.. be happy!! Glad to see you're back and able to get posting again! I'll be by later.
Congratulations on selling the property! It is theraputic to let part of your past go!
Nope, destiny and cosmic forces tend to rule my dull exsistance!! lol
But seriously I do find that when one or two good things happen, things that you may have or have not wanted or expected, more good things tend to follow. And the reverse seems to also apply. If one or two bad things occur, well you get the picture. I think it is relative to what is happening to us in that moment and the vibes that we produce or project.
Ok sorry for the ramble...your blog makes me think!! lol
Jen: Thanks! I've noticed that as well, but I still ponder the coincidence issue as I don't have any sort of 'real' statistical data!
Feel free to ramble on... One of the nicest things you could say is that one of my posts made you think!!
Thanks again.
Thanks for stopping by my site.
As to your question, I personally have always believed in the Universe. If there is something I need or want, I throw it to the Universe and forget about it. Then when I need it the most it happens. I never sweat paying my bills, because I know when it is all over and done with the money will be there. This is not a free ride, I still have to work towards a goal. Example would be: I really wanted to move out of Dallas, for my mothers health, but I did not have the money to move. Two years ago I go on a short vacation with friends of mine that own hotels down here in S. Padre Island, and while we are here the night auditor of one of the hotels quits. Well, they beg me to take the job and pay for me to move down. That is just one of many happy Universe helpings.
Later
I'll take "cosmic triggers" for $500, Alex.
:)
(I agree with Jen. You make me think...but now my brain hurts, you know, like a couple of days after you work out at the gym after a long vacation)
Sandi: You're welcome, I enjoyed my visit! If you've read anything by Dyer... you know his beliefs are very much in line with yours. If not, you might want to, I think you'd enjoy his work.
Karyn: :grin: Ok... so 'Cosmic Trigger' is winning so far!
Again, sorry your head hurts, but I do love to know I've caused you to think... I guess it's the old 'professor' in me!!
Thanks again for taking the time to leave me your thoughts
I think you get what you give. I've had many many many horrible things happen and usually, it all occured when I was a big asshole. When I chose to improve myself, my entire life improved. When I stopped being a selfish bitch, the world was mine for the taking. I think it has a lot to do with how you percieve your place in the world and what you are willing to do to help those around you. Congrats on closing a chapter in your life, and I have hopes that you will grow and come to cherish a new one.
Kim: Thanks, I'm glad it's closed as well. Your experience mirrors mine, seems the less 'self' focused I am, the more things just 'happen'... The universe, as they say, is a very strange place! THaks for sharing your take on this
Professor??? Can you make a radio out of coconuts and palm fronds?
Karyn: Of course... I've been doing so much, with so little, for so long... I can make anything out of nothing :)
Congrats on selling that property but I am definitely in the "cosmic" camp, that all things are connected and all things have a reason for happening.
Bill,
Though my churchgoing is limited to weddings and funerals, and I have no set structure of belief underlying my world, I feel like there are imperatives in the world. I know that being kind and treating others as you would wish to be treated are a few of those. I don't think it's mystical to believe that those around you, even those who don't know you well, are more likely to stand at your shoulder in tough times if you're a positive, caring person.
As to the Universe--oh, yeah. I don't understand it at all, but I believe in the Universe. It's been my experience that, when things have gone bad, and it looks like they're going to get worse, there's always some little ray of light to help me out. It's like getting home and having the tire go flat in the driveway, or facing bills you can't afford, only to have some little "community chest" money come in from somewhere. It's often small stuff, but it means a lot when you're otherwise having a rough time.
There's an old adage in sports: "You make your own luck." It generally means that those who prepare best always "get the roll" in the heat of the moment. Perhaps trying to live well and take care of each other is equivalent to this sort of preparation, when the game is life itself.
Dyer is a pretty convincing guy, no doubt about it. His earthy philosophy that the universal principles work like chewing lettuce, so go get your self on a fairground ride if you have to get over your kiddy shit is refreshing, and probably good in some ways for anyone who can go for it in themselves. I mean, it all seems so learnedly infallible and profoundly reasonable.
But then, I don't have to think much further than tsunamis and religion. After that, it's clearly as fallible and unreasonable as every other life plan than doesn't take into account the fact that we're lost, stranded organisms on a bountiful planet in a vast, careless universe.
Or not, but evolution never was, or ever will be, humanitarian.
Sleeping Mommy: Thanks, everything's in process! Yeah me too, at times. At others though things seem so random.
Firehawk: Interesting that you should mention the 'golden rule' - "treating others as you would wish to be treated"
As it's been my contention for years that if you don't break that rule, you can not break a commandment.
Dyer's point in his book "Real Magic" parallels yours... The Universe gives back to you, when you need it, and least expect it.
I can't remember who I heard say it first but I've found that the saying - "The harder I work, the luckier I get" to be very true for me as well.
Isn't the only real 'game' life itself? Hmmmmmmm. :)
Spirit of Owl: no one said choice was infallible, in fact the opposite is true. It's because of our inability to control events like tsunamis despite all of our efforts otherwise that control (choice) theory makes sense to me.
Dyer looks more (in my opinion) at the microcasm of our personal selves in our day to day life, not in reaction to catastrophic natural events.
I do agree however we are simple, organic life forms that are fairly insignificant against the scope of the universe.
Evolution... now there's a subject for a blog!! (and I agree 100% by the way!)
Yep.. I believe in the Univers. Why? Cuz it likes to mess with me. A Lot. ;)
When things are going crappy, my friend Rob, (who would agree with this post 100% I bet) will say to me: 'but what are you putting out there?' LOL.
Contrats on selling the land. Enjoy the deck. Because I don't, I hope you live somewhere without light pollution so you can sit on your new deck at night and appreciate the Universe when it's all dressed up and twinkley. (Is that a word?)
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