Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Ironic Twist Fate Throws at You



Fate. Some people think that everything in life happens for a “reason”.  Perhaps it does. I’m not discounting any theories these days.  I just know that a few weeks ago I gave the graduating class at Eastern College (approx. 1500 people in attendance) an inspirational speech on the premise you never know what your future has in store for you. 

I told them of how an unknown community member somehow became a community activist after experiencing a disturbing incident while walking back to work one lunch hour, how this activated the activist in her. Her passion for helping our area was noticed by her neighbours and she was asked to run in the next municipal election. The activist was elected 3 times to represent her community and was now seeking a fourth term. This is where the Ironic Twist of Fate comes in….my political career ended days later. 

Now it’s time for Double Irony… cue the “Jeopardy Music… 
Last week I was awarded Best Councillor by the readership of The Coast for the 10th consecutive year in a row for which I am extremely proud of. So am I missing something here?  Winning such an awesome award, but not getting elected…  WTF?  Talk about mixed messages. Reminds me of the guy you dated for 10 years, but he’s really in love with someone else and they are getting married tomorrow.

This led me to thinking; is our life’s path predetermined or do we make our own destiny? Are there glaring neon directional signs that perhaps we do not see or want to acknowledge?  Denial is just not a river in Egypt me thinks. (Yes, I know it is spelt Nile.) Do others see what our future hold for us? Will they share their info and advice with you or just let you fall into that lion pit like Yosemite Sam??

Case and point: a friend invited me to a church service the other Sunday.  Although I am not the best of company to anyone these days, I decided to go.  Thought it might give me a soulful boost.  I was informed it non-denominational fellowship and that I may find some of the practices different.  I didn’t think it would be an issue as I have always enjoyed experiencing various cultures, religions, and respect all who practice any spiritual practices.  In fact my Great Grand Father started a non- denominational church in Clearwater, Manitoba at the turn of the last century.

The Spiritual Science Fellowship describes itself as “Federally Chartered Inter-Faith Association providing spiritual services, educational programs and Pastoral Ministrations for persons regardless of their religious background, who desire to understand experiences of Psyche and Spirit.

The members are very friendly and inviting.  I appreciated that their hymnal included contemporary music like Imagine and On Top of the World, and the meditational time which allowed for a very calming reflection time.  Something I really haven’t done for quite some time.  Only one problem, my cell phone was on silent, but I had the alarm set for 7:30 pm to remind me to take my antibiotics for my pneumonia.  As the congregation began to slip into meditation mode….  The Theme for Laverne and Shirley started rising up throughout the hall.  Somewhat relaxed, I didn’t realize it was my phone until “we’re going to make our dreams come true” was wailing quite loudly. I grabbed my purse and ran into the hall to shut it off.  Just a little bit embarrassing to say the least.  I then rejoined the meditation session with the phone completely shut off.


The next part of the service included a messaging exercise.  My friend told me that the Ministers would pick individuals out of the congregation and ask them if they would like to receive a message. A physic message.  If you say yes, the Minister will either hold your hand or just begin to give you your message.  As the first Minister delivered messages, I was relieved that I had not been chosen.  I just wanted to be an observer, a fly on the wall.  

The second Minister then got up and delivered a few more messages and then approached me.   She asked me if I wanted a message, and I was reluctant at first but thought what the heck.  What could she tell me that I don’t already know about myself?  She took my hand and proceeded to describe her vision.  “I see you polishing… repeatedly polishing shoes.”  Uh?  Shoes?  What does this have to do with me, am I going to work in a shoe store like Al Bundy?
 

She then told me “You keep repeating the same task. You need to stop blaming yourself.  It isn’t your fault.  You have so much to give and you feel defeated.  Don’t blame yourself.  You need to heal.”  Well, I was floored.  She said a few other nice things which I can’t recall as I was weld up with tears by then.  The conclusion of the service included the joining of hands and singing of Kumbaya.  Yet irony enters….I always told the previous Council we needed to do this, but it never happened.

As I left the hall, I began to digest the message.  It wasn’t my fault.  The shoes were an analogy for my rehashing of the campaign. I then recalled a famous quote: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  Albert Einstein   Do I believe a guy who had a perpetual bad hair day?   I’m not going to tempt fate.  Time to move on…. 

Next Blog: Odd things inside the boxes






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