Do You Believe in Coincidences?
Last week I dropped off a load of donations at one of my favorite thrift stores. I rarely make a point to stop at this thrift shop just to browse, but since I was already there, I decided to take a look. The women who worked there jokingly said that I should get to bring home something new (to me) since I made space in my house by donating something else. ;)
As is usual for me, I didn’t find much that was worthy of refilling my house with more stuff, but one thing did catch my attention. I noticed a set of three wall hangings in a Japanese motif that surprised and delighted me.
If you read this blog regularly, these wall hanging might seem familiar to you. No, I haven’t posted a photo of them previously. Remember, I only acquired them last week. But I did post a photo of something similar in January. Do you remember this photo?
This photo was included in a blog post about my word for the year (which is harmony) called “Seeking Harmony in 2025.” It’s an odd coincidence that I would find these wall hangings to match my trashcan, but it’s even more odd when you know the rest of the story.
I bought this trashcan and its matching soap dispenser about 25 years ago when I lived in Vienna, Virginia. Despite having purged a lot of household items on previous occasions, including a substantial purge that occurred before moving to Austin, Texas in 2015, this was one of the things I decided to keep.
What a coincidence, right?!?
I chuckled about finding wall hangings to match my trashcan because of how unlikely it was to find them 25 years later and 1500 miles away. Why did I even save this trashcan all these years, I wondered?
Even further, I hadn’t planned to go to that particular thrift store last week. I was headed to a different one when the traffic diverted me to the one where I found my treasures. (Hey, at least the Austin traffic was good for one thing!)
Do you believe in coincidences?
I actually don’t. I believe that at least some, if not all, of the events that we call coincidences are an act of a Higher Power who is guiding us somehow. The more unlikely the coincidence, the more I believe it was an orchestrated event to get our attention or to help us in some way.
But if that’s true, what on earth would finding these wall hangings to match my beloved trashcan be telling me or guiding me to do? To find out, I had to be quiet and listen for the answer. In my case, I discovered the answer fairly quickly and clearly.
I had forgotten that I’d chosen “harmony” as my word for 2025 until I noticed that it was on both one of the wall hangings and on my trashcan. I remembered writing the blog post I mentioned earlier and I suddenly thought, “Oh, yikes! I’ve forgotten my intention for this year!”
Apparently, God had my back on this one and didn’t want me to forget my word and intention for the year. After further introspection, I realized that I hadn’t actually forgotten my word; I had only forgotten that I had chosen it for 2025. The reason I needed to remember and focus on it again became apparent when I noticed a scrap of paper on my desk.
I often write down ideas or thoughts when they occur to me so I won’t forget them and just a few weeks ago, I had hastily jotted down the words: “Happiness, Healing, and Harmony” and left it on my desk. I had been toying with the idea of changing my tagline for Primrose Ponderings to better reflect what I now write about.
“Happiness” has been a word that I’ve used from day one of this blog. “Healing” is similar to the word “well-being” which I had been using, at least casually, to describe my blog for some time and it seemed a reasonable substitution. Until very recently, however, I had never considered using the word “harmony” to describe Primrose Ponderings. But I realized that it was incredibly accurate for my current focus and should now be included.
Eventually I settled on the new tagline for Primrose Ponderings: “Musings on Happiness, Healing, and Harmony”. These three words felt “right” for where I am on my writing journey. The word “harmony” was the newest addition, but, of the three, most closely reflects what is happening in my heart, mind, and soul at the moment.
By the time I sat down to write this story for you, I realized what a gift I had been given by my Higher Power. Not only was I reminded that I’ve been on a journey of finding harmony since at least January, I also felt as if God was telling me to keep going on this journey. “You’re on the right path for this time,” were the words that resonated with me.
I was grateful that God would take time out of His busy schedule to assure me that I was on the correct path. I felt more confident and peaceful about the direction I’ve chosen for Primrose Ponderings. And it all came about because of an unlikely find at a thrift shop.
After hearing my story, do you think I’m crazy, misguided, or naive?
I imagine that at least some of you reading this think so. But if I am crazy, I’m “crazy like a fox” (as the old saying goes) because not believing in coincidences has served me well. I find much peace, guidance, and even levity when I experience powerful non-coincidences.
I won’t go so far as to say that there are no coincidences in life, but I will insist that many of the unlikely events that we experience in life are definitely not just coincidences. These are events, guided by our merciful Higher Power to help us find and stay on a path that will lead to the best outcome for us, for our loved ones, and for our world.
If you only believe in coincidences, might you open up your mind just a little to the possibility that some of the coincidences you experience might be so much more? Or, if you believe that some coincidences are more than just coincidences, can you open up your mind to the possibility of experiencing even more events that seem so unlikely that they can’t just be a coincidence?
From my own experience, I’ve noticed that when I choose to believe that highly unlikely “coincidences” appear out of the blue to help me, I have enjoyed those types of “coincidences” more frequently. My faith is weak sometimes, but even my weak faith results in some pretty exciting outcomes at times. I thank God for these unlikely and transformative events.
Open your heart and your mind to the possibility and you, too, might find yourself thanking your Higher Power for the incredible “coincidences” that He sends your way.
