A Message from the Universe??

Last week as I was carefully stopped at a yield sign waiting for traffic to clear, I was rudely and forcefully rear-ended by a driver who clearly wasn’t paying attention. Ultimately it wasn’t a big deal as I wasn’t terribly hurt and the guy who hit me totally acknowledged that it was his fault. Additionally, the car just happened to be a van rented for a work-related road trip and since we had signed up for comprehensive insurance coverage there wasn’t even a deductible to pay. I simply drove back to the dealer and got a replacement van.

The incident did, however, make me stop and wonder what message the universe was trying to send me.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I really think the universe is all that invested in my life. But, it does seems that whenever anything bad happens or things get really tough, I feel driven to stop and ask myself what’s going on.

It started a number of years ago when I was teaching at Niagara College and left work wearing a heavy backpack of papers and exams to be marked over the weekend. Unbeknownst to me, newly fallen snow hid a patch of black ice in the parking lot. I skidded as I hit the ice, lost my balance, and as the result of the weight on my shoulders, fell hard. As I was soon to learn, I had not only dislocated my ankle, but broken it in three places. Shortly after the surgery to pin it back together, my mother came to visit me in the hospital. After expressing the appropriate sympathy she looked at me rather quizzically and said, “I wonder what message the universe was trying to send you?”

I remember being somewhat annoyed with the question and replied to her rather testily saying that it was just an accident.  It did though get me thinking, ultimately making me realize the message was that a broken ankle might just signify a need to slow down and try to regain some life balance.

I’ve since learned that if I’m in a place where the universe appears to be telling me to change direction or to give up, it’s more about a need to stop and ask myself a few questions.

For instance, “Is this really important? Why am I doing this? Should I give up on this? Am I missing something? Is there a better way to do this?  Are there other pathways to the same goals? Is there a deeper purpose to this?” 

When the going gets tough, I also try to do some personal reflection about why I’m invested in what I’m currently doing. It involves checking in to see if I really feel I’m on the right path and doing the right things for the right reasons. 

It may be that signs from the universe are more about learning and recognizing new ideas and directions. While they might seem to come from the universe, perhaps they’re really coming from within us as we grow and see our goals differently. Or, it might just be that a sign is a sign that we can choose to ignore, interpret as being either good or bad, or explore a little deeper.

I stopped and asked myself many of these questions after the car accident. I’m not sure if I have the answers yet but I am wondering if maybe the message is that I need a shove to head in a new direction? Or perhaps it was just a case of needing to stop and be grateful for all that I have? I do know that the driver who hit me was surprised at how calmly I reacted. But, as I explained to him, I really do have a great life and if this is the worst that can happen to me, then I just need to count my blessings. Regardless of its source, it definitely was a meaningful message.

Posted on 03-13-12

Comments:


This blog made me pause and go ‘Hmmm”... I think its a good lesson.  The universe throws both good and bad things at us and I really do believe that there are lessons to be learned.

•Posted by Janet Naclia  on  03/15/12  at  12:31 PM


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