Category: MeaningfulExperiences

I’d like to share a synchronistic experience I recently had. When I went to open a door in a common area of the building where I’ve lived many years, the handle felt loose and then came off, and the door wouldn’t open when I pushed on it. So I went to a different part of the building and used a different door. Although that door opened, it didn’t open readily because the metal plate beneath it had become loose and was wedged against the bottom of the door. The next day I was walking in a skyway, and a door I’ve used many times opened only about a fourth of the way and wouldn’t open further. And in the building where I work, the doors of one of the elevators–the one I happened to choose–opened noticeably more slowly than usual. These are all doors I’ve used often and they usually work fine.

Such unexpected occurrences, especially when more than one happens within a short period of time, cause me to wonder what the symbolism of the occurrences might be. The words “doors opening” can refer to opportunities becoming available. So I thought about what opportunities might be closed to me. But then I thought about how doors not opening could signify my not being willing to open doors, such as my not being “open” to new ideas and experiences. I tend to stay with what is familiar and to avoid taking risks. Because the doors not opening happened at a time when I was struggling to embrace inner direction I had discerned, this second possible meaning fit. Once again, I had received a reminder from my unconscious that it was time to move forward, to open the door to something new in my life, despite my resistance. The synchronicity also provided encouragement because it seemed to confirm that what I had discerned was correct.

Synchronistic experiences have a dream-like quality. What are the chances of my having that many doors that I’d never had problems with before not working correctly in the space of two days? It’s more like something that would happen in a dream. And that makes sense, because dreams and synchronicities are from the same source: our unconscious.

I attended a professional dance performance today that I thoroughly enjoyed. There were three pieces, each a different theme and style of dance. The eight dancers had prepared well and displayed their high level of talent and skill. The dancers’ ability, along with the creative choreography, music, and costumes, made for a wonderful program.

Dance is one of my favorite art forms. I appreciate and respect the hard work and years of training the dancers have completed to be able to perform at the professional level, and I’m impressed by their ability. I think one reason dance appeals to me is because it is symbolic. Some dances portray a story, but many dances are more abstract and touch each audience member in a personal way. I am thankful for the many beautiful aspects of life, and dance is one of them.

I would like to thank all of the authors for writing the books that have enriched my life. Thank you for listening to that part of you who told you it’s time to begin to write. And for staying with it despite inevitable challenges. Reading books written by people knowledgeable about Jungian concepts has helped me to better understand myself and therefore to grow in consciousness. Many of these authors are psychotherapists who have assisted numerous clients, including helping their clients to discern the messages of their dreams and the possible meaning of synchronicities. With their clients’ permission, the authors have shared their clients’ experiences, and they often have written about their own experiences as well. My life has also been enriched by reading books about spiritual and religious topics. Spirituality and consciousness are directly related, and many of the books by certain Jungian authors are about that relationship.

I also enjoy reading well written novels. I make a point of saying “well written” because, sad to say, there is much that is published that is of poor quality and can be emotionally harmful to the reader. By reading well written novels, I have learned about human nature as the stories’ characters deal with life situations and display compassion, courage, perseverance, sacrifice, creativity, and strength of character. Some of the best written fiction is by authors who thoroughly research the eras and geographical settings of their stories, giving me a sense of what it might have been like to live in a different place and/or time, adding to my empathy for others.

In addition to being thankful to writers for enhancing my life experience, I also have a great regard for them. It takes courage to share their ideas and experiences. Through their writing, they open themselves up to possible criticism from people who disagree with the ideas they express. I’m thankful that their inner voices give to writers inspiration, creativity, and writing ability and, in addition, that essential virtue of courage.

Not long ago the employees of the crisis line where I had worked for many years were told that the service would need to close because there wasn’t sufficient funding to keep it operational. This decision had been made by the management personnel of the nonprofit organization of which the crisis line was a part after months of effort had gone into trying to obtain funding from many sources. I felt bad for the other counselors and myself that we would be losing our employment, but I felt worse for the many people who would no longer have this helpful resource available to them.

When I walked to my car after completing my last shift, I saw a beautiful rainbow. Rainbows are special because they are pretty and we never know when one will appear or how long it will last. They are unexpected gifts. Although I’d had time to accept the fact that the service I had cared about so much was ending, I was still feeling sad about it. Seeing that rainbow not only raised my spirits but made me think of what it symbolized for me: an unexpected, lovely surprise. Two days later I was asked by an administrator of the organization of which the crisis line was a part if I would be interested in continuing to do crisis line counseling by answering calls for some county crisis lines. Some funding had come through to continue some but not all of the services we had been offering, making this position possible. I immediately said yes.

I have written about synchronicities in other posts and about how we can learn from them and be given messages from our inner voice through them. Synchronicities are meaningful, acausal occurrences. The rainbow didn’t cause the new crisis line job to become available, and the job didn’t cause the rainbow to occur. And yet seeing that rainbow on the last day of my crisis line job caused me to wonder if something positive might happen; it made me feel hopeful. And sure enough something special and unexpected—just as a rainbow is special and unexpected—happened. And I continue to be a crisis line counselor doing work I care about deeply.

This morning I stopped at a grocery store to buy a few items. Because it was early in the day there was only one cashier working, so I got in line behind some other shoppers. A woman and a man were in front of me, and I noticed the woman look at my cart. She said to the man she was with that they should let me go before them because their cart was full and it would take just a couple of minutes for me to get checked out. He readily agreed. I thanked them and said that was very nice of them. The woman smiled and said people have done that for her before, so it was her turn to do it for someone else.

I cherish such unexpected acts of kindness. I had noticed how full their cart was, and I was feeling some frustration that the store didn’t have more cashiers working. But even so I would not have expected this couple to let me go before them. I understand that people often need to hurry to get to another commitment, and they had already been in line behind other shoppers. And yet they chose to give me this thoughtful and unexpected gift.

I live in a state where there’s considerable variation in the weather, from below-zero wind chills, ice, and snow in the winter to 90-plus degrees and high humidity in the summer. And there’s everything in between. I like the variety, although I will admit there are times in the winter when I question if I really do! It’s early summer as I write this and this morning was one of those in-between days and it was beautiful. Blue sky, mild temperature, a light breeze. The trees that were bare only two months ago are now full of leaves, and I enjoy the variety of types of trees with their various shades of green. The sun filtering through the leaves adds to their beauty.

This morning as I was walking to my car and appreciating the lovely day and surroundings, I saw a dragonfly. It too was pretty with its iridescent wings. Dragonflies symbolize transformation and self-realization. My getting to see it was another special surprise from nature. There is a lot that is wrong in our world, but thankfully there is a lot that is good and meaningful as well. The beauty of nature is one of those good and at times meaningful parts of our world.

The other day I was walking to the library during my lunch break and saw a man who walked with a limp heading toward the library from another direction. A couple of seconds after I entered the library, I heard a groan, turned around, and saw that the man had fallen a few feet before reaching the entrance door. A young man who was nearby immediately went to the man who had fallen, asked him if he was hurt, and helped him stand up.

It was a meaningful experience for me to witness this kind of caring response. The young man who went to the man who had fallen responded without a moment’s hesitation. Another example of doing unto others as we would have them do unto us. Another example of how we need one another.

This morning was unusual because several things happened that caused delays on my way to work. The traffic moved considerably more slowly than it normally does. The clerk at a store where I had hoped to make a quick stop couldn’t figure out the code to enter from a gift card and continued to make the same mistake even after I showed him the code on the card. The supervisor the clerk called for assistance stopped to talk to another clerk and was in no hurry to help us. And when I finally was at the entrance of the building where I work, a young man wasn’t paying attention and was blocking the door. I was about to say something when he noticed he was in the way, apologized, and moved. I try to keep things in perspective, and I realize these delays didn’t cause major problems. But it struck me that there were this many delays in a relatively short period of time.

When something happens that catches my attention, I try to discern whether it is a synchronicity and, if so, what it is telling me. Synchronicities are meaningful acausal occurrences. It didn’t take me long to connect the four delays I had experienced with my having put off something I’ve needed to take care of. Realizing this, I made a phone call as the first step in what I’ve needed to do and I resolved to make it a priority to complete the task.

The slow traffic, the slow cashier, the slow supervisor, and the young man not realizing he was blocking the door all occurred in outer reality. And yet they also had a dreamlike quality; I can imagine them happening in a dream and myself in the dream being frustrated and feeling helpless to speed things up. Just as the symbols and stories of dreams help us to learn about ourselves, to become more conscious, and to give us direction, so do synchronicities. Like dreams, synchronicities can give us the push we need to take steps we need to take.

Sometimes when I run errands during breaks from my job, I see a man who uses a motorized wheelchair. This man’s body is the size of that of a 10-year-old boy but his head is the size of an adult’s. I assume he works in one of the offices or businesses near where I work. I don’t know him and I’ve never spoken to him except to say “hi,” but I am so impressed by him. I think of how much more difficult and time-consuming it is for him to get ready for work each day than it is for me. And to commute to work, and to do his work, and so on. Writing this reminds me of another person who impressed me. When I was in graduate school, one of my instructors had multiple sclerosis. During the first couple of classes I sometimes had trouble understanding what she said because her illness affected her speech. But before long I was able to understand her fine; it was similar to getting used to hearing someone who speaks with an accent different from mine. She was an intelligent, knowledgeable, and capable teacher. And at times I would think about the challenges she faced each day because of her illness.

In my writing, I often emphasize the importance of making choices to maintain and improve our health: good nutrition, exercise, not smoking or using drugs, etc. I believe good health is a gift from the Creator, and we should do our best to take care of this precious gift. But sometimes people are given the challenge of health problems they did not cause or to which they did not contribute. Very likely my teacher and the man I’ve referred to were born with their disabilities. When I feel lazy, I think of them. Thinking of them helps me to be motivated to do what I need to do and also reminds me to be thankful for my gift of good health.

Recently I saw a complete rainbow. It has been many years since I’ve seen a full rainbow; from time to time I’ve seen partial ones which are pretty, but this rainbow was especially beautiful. I was on the bus returning home from work, almost to where I get off, and I just happened to look out the window on the other side of the bus and saw it. I wonder what made me look that way. Most of the ride I usually read and when I look out I tend to look out the window on the side of the bus where I’m sitting. But whatever impulse caused me to look the other way, I’m thankful for it.

When I got off the bus at the bus station a few minutes later, I quickly got to my car in the parking ramp and to the street, hoping to see the rainbow again. But it was no longer there. Rainbows are like that–fleeting. It reminded me of how life gives us special moments, unexpected surprises. Rainbows are one of the beauties of nature, and nature provides us with many special moments–a pretty sunrise, birds singing, a refreshing breeze. But nature is not the only source of special moments. They also come from people treating people with care and respect. A greeting with a smile, holding the door open for someone, being understanding when someone is struggling, being patient. Just as the rainbow was only there a few minutes and yet seeing it meant a lot to me, these and other acts of caring might just take a minute or two also and can make such a difference to both the beneficiary of the caring as well as to the giver.