I’ve always believed in the concept of The Universe and its power, influence and benevolence over all living things on this beautiful home we call Earth. We each identify with this concept in different ways. Some of us align ourselves with nature and it’s wonders. Yet others find this same emotion in the form of religion, spirituality, practicing mindfulness through different techniques. The list goes on and on.
I’ve also always felt that The Universe sends us messages, some subtle, some strong, some that knock your socks off. It is then up to each one of us to listen, interpret and take what we can from this message into our daily lives.
My husband and I are both avid readers and enjoy reading books in a variety of genres on a daily basis. Even though there is no substitute for holding a physical book in your hands, I made the transition to an electronic reader a few years ago when our bookshelf began to overflow. A couple of years ago my husband reluctantly followed suit.
It has become a routine for me to pick an interesting book for him every time he finishes one. On occasion a friend or family member will recommend something to read and he would ask me to find him that book.
A few weeks back, he asked me to pick a book based on a friends recommendation. It turned out I already had a copy of this and found it for him although somehow I’ve never gotten to reading it, neither have I come across a synopsis of what it’s about. You’re simply going to have to trust me on that.
A month ago, I went through an emotional, cathartic and somewhat painful experience, one that filled me with gratitude because at the end of it, I felt this was not a coincidence and I was meant to do something more with my life in this space (more about that in my year end piece next week).
This was followed by my husbands book request and while I had no idea what he was reading, I was asking myself some pretty difficult, almost existential questions post my own very moving experience.
Last week, it all came together in the form of a series I found on Netflix that traced the lives of people in “blue zones”. Men and women who are living a full, happy and productive life well into their 100s. That’s when my husband spoke about the book he was reading, when the series began to delve into the reasons how and why these blue zones came to be.
One of the reasons was mentioned as “Ikigai”. This was the title of the book my husband was reading, and was about finding one’s sense of purpose, that sweet spot between what we get paid to do, what we love to do, what the world needs from us and what we are intrinsically good at.
All of these events of the past month or so, in such quick succession took my breath away. While I have always believed in The Universe and Her benevolence, influence, the way She watches over all of us – this is probably the first time I have received such loud and clear messages from Her. No offense gentlemen, but I like to think The Universe is a She at heart. The ultimate Mother of us all.
She was speaking to me through a series of events, all of which I will need some more time and space to work through and arrive at the core.
I’m not sure how far I will go or how much I will be able to understand, adopt and potentially change the course of my life. The words I’m writing today, this train of thought I’m forming is the first step in what I feel is going to be the beginning of something that will help me find my own “Ikigai”.
I guess for the moment, I want to use this space to tell my readers and The Universe – I listened and this is my response. I hear you loud and clear!!