Recently I stepped outside my office and something odd
happened. I was walking down some steps and I saw something falling. It was
small and light, almost floating, but I put out my hand and it landed right
smack dab in the middle. It was a feather. Two in fact. Small, beautiful,
brown-striped feathers.
Sure, having feathers fall literally into my hand is what
some might call a lucky happenstance. Now consider where I was when this
happened. I work for a digital marketing company, what some might call my muggle
job, and it has offices in cities across the globe – not rural communities
surrounded by fields or small forests. I work in Chicago, in The Loop (which
for those who don’t know is smack dab in the middle of downtown).
So to have these feathers randomly fall into my hands seems less like luck and more like something purposeful.
Now I’ll add one more piece of interesting information.
Lately I’ve felt pretty stuck, especially where my job is concerned. There are
many reasons for it, but I’d decided that part of my problem was that I was
letting this job take me away from what I really want to do with my life – but
I also knew that dropping out of society, living in the mountains and becoming
the next Radagast wasn’t a realistic option for a guy with a wife, two
daughters, a dog, two fish and a crustacean living in the suburbs of Chicago.
So instead, I decided to revisit some of my spiritual practices – first and
foremost being to ask for help. By help I mean direction and by asking I mean
asking Spirit (to me this covers all denominations and non-denominations). For
me, the concept of a higher power is most notably present in nature – so this
is typically where I turn for spiritual guidance.
Then the feathers “appear” seemingly from nowhere.
Interesting, no?
I’ve learned through my nearly 45 years on this planet that
the experiences we have are what we make of them. Others may slough off these
feathers as merely an interesting occurrence or at most a happy coincidence. I
really can’t. It’s not who I am. I have in me too much of that child-like
wonder and hope for life to be more special than that. I instead take this as
an answer – one that tells me I’m heading in the right direction, and there’s
more to come in the days ahead. It’s a reinforcement that life is special if we
only pay attention. Ultimately, it’s that where I am is where I need to be, for
now.
My question for you, though, is what’s special in your life?
Are you paying attention? It can make all the difference.
