Every ‘beginning’ is a re-branded ending.  But if that sounds depressing, the counterpart is also true – every ending is a re-branded beginning.  The more you realise this, the more you see that there is no finiteness to the universe, everything is fluid.  Everything old is new again.

People often think things like, “If I hadn’t spoken to the stranger on the bus that day, this particular chain of events would never have happened, and I wouldn’t be getting married/ getting a promotion/ writing this book right now. It was meant to be!”  Or they apply the same worry to the future, that if we’re not in the right place at the right time, we’ll miss an appointment with destiny. But Serendipity is merely a nice idea.

Story time!  Over a decade ago I was coming home from cooking class via the train, and I had a bag full of fresh baked apple pies.  The train being crowded, I was standing in the foyer with a bunch of other people, and an alternative-looking guy about my age decided to sit down on the floor. Fearing for the safety of my freshly baked goods, I cried, “Don’t sit on my pies!” He apologised, then said, “You’ve got an accent!” and by the time we had arrived at our destination we were firm friends. 

If life were a Hollywood movie, I’d be telling you the story of how I met my husband.  But that man has been happily married to another woman for six years now and both of them are very dear friends.  True, you could say that a chance encounter led to a friendship that has spanned over a decade now, but it could also have been true that it led to the worst heartbreak of my life, or even nowhere at all. 

I guess the point I’m trying to make is that we make our own fate.  I do believe some things are meant to come into our lives in some way, but I don’t believe our destinies are set in stone (unless you’re Ta’veren, but that is a whole other blog). The universe gives us the raw ingredients, if you will, but there are many different combinations we can make from those circumstances and happenings. 

The concept of time as linear is false.  You cannot stray from the path if there is no path to stray from. When you see this, you’ll either feel lost and frightened by s lack of definitive purpose, or you’ll feel liberated and stop beating yourself up about missed opportunities and failed five year plans.

Seeing life events as devoid of the “meaning” we tend to ascribe to them doesn’t have to be depressing and nihilistic.  It can be an exciting blank canvas, an empty stage on which to play and create anything we want.