Serendipity Is A Gift If You Have The Courage To Follow It

The bigger your change, the better your life will be. Story by Linda Gumper

Serendipity is the universe or your higher power reaching out to you.

It opens doors as well as closes them.

It’s an unexpected gift that is given to everyone who sees it.

Inside Life Didn’t Match The Outside Life

Years ago, looking at the outside of my life, I lived a normal life. I grew up in the city, graduated college, and found a job working in my field (chemistry). I was married, and we lived in an apartment. Everything looked promising.

Inside of myself, I wasn’t happy.

I worked for a toxic boss, and there was no room for advancement. I was stressed because I didn’t have much leadership or help with my job, it was a sink or swim situation.

I had a few friends, but no one that lived near me that I was close to.

I was discontent with exploring my spirituality. For several years, I was a Wiccan (female earth spirituality) who practiced solitary. I was afraid to reach out to anyone in the pagan community. 

I didn’t feel comfortable being a newbie in front of people. I explored Wicca online, but it was only from the outside, so it wasn’t a satisfying practice.

There was no spark of passion inside of me.

I lived a small life as a habit. My spirit and soul were dead.

My husband wasn’t doing much better. He was active outdoors, but he had to travel at a few hours to do anything. His job also frustrated him because he looked at the same thing every week.

Everything changed one day.

My husband came home and said we needed to move. He wanted to return to the small town where we met and started college. I was stunned.

Move outside of what we knew here? How was I going to find a job in my field? Would my education be a waste? This was a crazy idea. I was discontent, but I didn’t want to leave the safe life that I had built.

There had to be another way.

I couldn’t imagine leaving my home and family.

We discussed moving for a few weeks as I tried to talk him into staying.

Eventually, I agreed to relocate. Plans started being made to do this. We drove to the town and found a place to live.

Now, it was a matter of moving. We packed what we could fit into two vehicles, and sold what we didn’t have room for.

I was scared out of my mind. I had no job or friends in this town and wondered if my degree was a waste. I couldn’t imagine finding a job within my field, and all that hard work for my degree would be wasted.

Moving day happened to be in the middle of the fall. We were moving to the mountains, so the color was amazing as we drove.

I remember looking at the aspens while making our last gas stop. The color seemed to glow. I had never seen color so bright. (Looking back, that was a sign of things to come.)

We arrived and moved into our apartment. I rested for a couple of days and then started trying to find work. We lived downtown, and I could walk everywhere. I walked for hours trying to sort my thoughts.

I was depressed and lonely. I hadn’t made any friends yet. I even thought about going back to the city we moved from. (All this after a week of being there.)

I hit the lowest point of my life. I had reached an emotional bottom.

Serendipity To The Rescue

I suddenly remembered reading an article about finding a job. It talked about unconventional ways to do this. One of the ideas was posting an ad in the local paper for a position wanted.

Taking courage, I put an ad in the local newspaper stating I was a chemist and was looking for work.

About a week later, I got a call for a job interview in a lab. I got the job. I was working in my field so my degree wasn’t a waste.

(I later found out that the ad was seen by someone’s sister, who worked at the lab. ( How is this for serendipity?)

With income now, part of my stress melted away. But I was still lonely. My spiritual life was still dead.

Serendipity Gets Bigger

One day, while playing with the computer, I discovered a website that listed people looking for other people to meet with similar interests. I saw someone who lived in the same town I was in.

I contacted her, and we agreed to meet. I liked her, and we became friends. She talked about other people she knew in Wicca even though she wasn’t a practitioner herself.

Through her, I met another person, who led to another, and soon, I had a group of people who were part of the pagan community. I had friends!

But it didn’t stop there. One of my new friends was a Tai Chi teacher. She encouraged me to start classes with her. She helped me with my blown knee and taught me to walk again without pain—no surgery needed.

Another friend I met was a Native American shields teacher. I signed right up. I spent years doing this training. I have changed so much that I don’t even recognize myself as the scared woman I was when I moved.

Further Down The Serendipity Road

I have been in this town for 24 years. I can’t imagine a better life. I have met so many amazing people.

People close to my heart today.

I learned that serendipity grows stronger the more you follow it. Events connect in unexpected ways.

None of this would have happened if I had stayed in the city with my safe life. I wouldn’t have found my soul and spirit.

I am becoming the best version of myself. Now it seems serendipity happens every day.

Serendipity can be the craziest, scariest thing you see. It starts in small steps and grows bigger and bigger as you follow it. Soon, you are walking a path that leads to an adventure of a lifetime.

Linda Gumper believes healing is more than mind-body. She mentors people that want to deepen their healing process when other methods fail. This gives peace of mind and freedom to live the best life possible. Uncensoredspirit@substack.com to begin healing on your own terms.