There are no Coincidences!

Champagne Pools, Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia

I believe in setting intentions, imaging, and the law of attraction. At one time I might have been skeptical, but as I have watched it work in my own life time and time again, I have all the "proof" I need. I have also been witness to how it has worked in the lives of others. Skeptics will "poo poo" it all as coincidence and I am fine with that. I do believe the skeptics should be a little more open-minded to possibility, but that is their row to hoe, not mine.

Over the last several years, it has become clearer and clearer to me how well it works. Last week I had a real smack upside the head from the law of attraction that I will share with you here today. It will help me figure out what I am supposed to do with it hopefully.

 Shortly after reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert in 2007, something started stirring inside me. I became restless. I began to crave change. It was a catalyst toward some serious self-examination that was long overdue. Despite its many critics, the book had a colossal impact on me. I was not alone. Thousands of women all over the world were struck by her words and her journey. Many longed to take a similar pilgrimage. At the time, I did not even think it was possible, but over the course of the next three years, this intense period of soul-searching gripped me, refusing to let go. In many ways, it was as though there was no stopping it. Something was forcing me to take this journey and I could kick and scream and resist as much as I liked. It would be to no avail. I made a conscious decision at one point to just stop trying to swim upstream against the current and go with the flow. In an attempt to help my trip down the river, I decided to work with a bit of imagery and play around with the law of attraction. 

I did some simple things. I changed all my passwords to names of women that I admired, with the idea that daily imaging of successful (in my mind) authors or characters would steer me toward a similar fate. In one case, after about two years of using one name,  it occurred to me that I actually did not want to end up like her, so I immediately changed it to another name and as soon as I did that, a course correction took place. At that time, I changed it to Elizabeth Gilbert, thinking it would give me the strength and courage that she had to do what I felt I had to do. I also changed the screen saver on my computer at work to an image of where I wanted to go. At the time, in my wildest dreams, I thought it would never happen. And then, it did.The image was of the Champagne Pools on Fraser Island. I have been there 4 times since then.  I also created an image board of what I wanted my future life to look like. As of today, at least half of the images I used that seemed unattainable at the time have manifested. 

Which brings me to a recent "coincidence". Last week, an invitation to a book launch appeared in my inbox. It was an event being held at the local art gallery here in Maryborough. Initially I glanced at it, not noticing the details. A couple of days later, I actually opened it, curious as to the book and the author, when the name Elizabeth Gilbert popped up. No, it was not her launching a book in this small town in Australia, but it just so happens, that her husband's ex-wife has written a book that will apparently unveil her "truth". She has used the fame and notoriety of her ex-husband's new wife to promote her own memoir, stating that she was blindsided by Gilbert's suggestion in her follow-up book - Committed, that their divorce had been "very, very, bad", when she felt it had been "gracious". 

Now, of all the small towns in all of Australia, how is it that I end up living in the same place as Elizabeth Lowrie? I did know after reading Eat Pray Love that "Felipe" had once been married to an Australian woman and that he had children with her and it was very likely that he would travel to Australia from time to time to spend time with his kids. But, it certainly took me by surprise to learn that she lives right here in this tiny corner of the world, the same tiny corner I have landed. So, now the question is - Why? Was I meant to meet her? Does she have a message for me? What will I learn at this book launch next week that will impact me? Should I send my heroine a note to tell her I am going? It almost feels like I am cheating on her in some way. Sidling up to the enemy? Should I read her book? Should I remain faithful to Gilbert? Was I meant to hear both sides of the story? Is Lowrie legit? Is she really just wanting her side of the story to be told or is she riding the wave of Gilbert's success to try and sell a few books? What is her motivation? 

There are certainly many questions. There is also an uncanny resemblance between the two. Both blond, Caucasian, same first names and both took healing journeys. Lowrie apparently meditated for 6 weeks in Brazil, rafted down the Grand Canyon and took a train across Canada, in contrast to Gilbert's eating in Italy, meditating in India, and finding balance in Bali. I cannot help but think that the ex-wife is really trying to stick it to Gilbert. There is a sense of bitterness and anger around the description of her story and she has even titled her book - Committed, Undone. C'mon! Surely she could have come up with something better than that! However, since I do not know the whole story yet, I will wait and reserve judgement until after I know more. I will try to keep an open mind and hear this woman out. 

We all know there are two sides to every story. 

For whatever reason, seems I need to hear hers.