Is It Luck, Coincidence, Synchronicity, or Just Life?
Image by Gerd Altmann

I love how the Universe (a.k.a. God/Goddess/All That Is, Creator, Divine, etc.) works. Things just work out sometimes amazingly perfectly. Actually, I don't know why it's amazing, other than we've been brainwashed (trained) to expect the worst instead of the best.

It fills me with wonder and gratitude when the Universe works its magic (if you want to call it that). We could also call it luck, coincidence, synchronicity, or serendipity, but like a rose which by any other name would smell as sweet, these perfectly-timed events just feel wonder-full and miraculous to me, whatever they are called.

Let me share with you some of these "perfect happenings":

A few years back, I made a commitment to start writing articles regularly again after being on somewhat of a sabbatical from writing. However, the limiting thought that came to my mind was: How will I find so many things to write about? 

Ask And Ye Shall Receive

Well, the Universe started to promptly provide the answer to that question. As I was cleaning the house on the weekend, I needed some newspaper for window-washing, so went to the cupboard where I have a stack of old newspapers. I grabbed one out of the pile, and the article on the front page of that section jumped out at me. It was "Does Prayer Matter?". The article had statistics from a survey that had been done, and I thought... hum, I'd like to read that, so I set that paper aside to read later and grabbed another one.

Later as I read the article, I found two things that were very interesting. First the date on the paper was May 1st, 2010 and I was reading it on May 1st, 2011, exactly a year later. Now that was rather synchronistic! Then as I read the article, it mentioned a National Day of Prayer. So I looked up online to discover that National Day of Prayer that year (2011) was May 5th, and so here was a topic for an article this week! How perfect! Article #1. Thank you! (Read my article on The Day of Prayer here.)

Then later in the week, I went to the local dollar store to get some flip-flops. As I was trying on a few pair, I saw out of the corner of my eye a guy stick a pair of flip-flops into the side of his cowboy boots. Wow! That stunned me! I'd never seen anyone shoplifting before. And he saw me at the same time, and a chill came over me. Well, I won't go into the details here as to what happened next, as I'm saving that for another article (article #2).


innerself subscribe graphic


As I drove away from the store, I realized that I'd just been handed another topic for an article, I commented to the Universe, OK, thanks for the topic for an article, but could we keep them a bit less traumatic please?

Then today... Now this one is my favorite as this has been building for years! To give you the whole picture I have to go back a while... (and this is article #3 that you're reading now.)

Give a Man a Fish...

Goldfish graphic from the article:Coincidences & Synchronicities by Marie T. RussellOur house in Central Florida has a pool. Now, I'm sensitive to chlorine (it burns my skin) thus have never liked to swim in a chlorinated pool, even if it's in my own back yard. So the pool did not get maintained and algae started to grow in it. About eight years ago, my niece who is an avid animal lover (she specializes in fish, lizards, sneakes, etc.) was visiting. As we were looking at the algae-laden pool, I asked her what kind of fish ate algae. Ah, goldfish it seems! So off we went (without my husband's knowledge) to buy some tiny goldfish which we released into the pool.

OK, well, eight years later, the fish are doing fine, they've grown, they've multiplied, the pool has been renamed "pond" (at least by me), and my husband is still not happy with the situation. The problem not being with the fish which are real cute and provide us with lots of peaceful entertainment, but the problem lies in the fact that the house needs to either get rented-out or sold, and the "pond" is not a welcome addition to that process.

So through the years, yes all eight of them, we've discussed what to do with the goldfish when we revert the "pond" to pool status. And, I, the ultimate optimist, kept saying, over and over, "Don't worry, something will work out. We'll find someone or somewhere for them when the time is right."

The Moment of Truth

Well, one morning came the moment of truth! The "pond" is half drained on its way to becoming a pool once again. My husband calls me and asks me what I want to do with the fish. He says there are three options, one of which is putting an ad on Craig's List. Ah! Perfect! That sounds just right! So I write up an ad: Free Goldfish to a good home! Must take all of them (there are about 50 or more)!

After I post the ad, I decide to do a search and see what the ad looks like. So I search: free goldfish, and the first ad that comes up is one that someone posted the night before at 8:15 pm, and it reads, "Looking for free goldfish/Orlando. I have a 5000 gal pond in my backyard, now all I need are some fish.. anyone looking for a good home for their fish.. call me..." I called, the fellow was thrilled, and he lives about 15 minutes from our house! How perfect is that?

Voila! The Universe had provided. And I didn't even really have to post the ad since the Universe had already supplied the solution before I officially requested one. Well, OK, I had been requesting one for years, in the sense that I had faith that when the time came the solution would come also. I know, this sounds like one of these instances that if you saw it in a movie, you'd think, "yeah right! what are the odds of that happening..." Well as I like to say, "It only takes one."

Synchronicity & Coincidences Abound

Which brings me to another story of synchronicity and/or faith, however you want to look at it. Years ago, I was working on a project that necessitated me living in Boston for the summer. I mentioned to a girl I know who was from Boston that I was looking for a rental for 2 or 3 months. Her immediate comment was that it would be very difficult since rentals, especially short-term ones, were really hard to find in Boston (at least they were in 1995). My comment? "I only need one. I don't need a bunch of them."

Since she was headed to Boston to visit her family (more serendipity), I asked her if she'd be willing to put up some flyers with our 800 number on the bulletin boards in health food stores and metaphysical stores. She agreed.

About a week later, I get a call. The person who called said, "You don't know me and this might sound a bit odd, but I saw your ad in the store where I work, and right next to it is an ad for someone who wants to sublet their apartment for the summer, so I thought I'd call you and tell you about it." Well, that was wonderfull! Thank you Universe!

I called the number from the ad, and rented the apartment sight unseen for the summer. It turned out to be a lovely place within walking distance of the health food co-op, two blocks from the subway, and to top it all, it had a beautiful rooftop garden with a bench and morning sun. The Divine at work... or maybe at play!

But wait, it gets better. After the summer was over, my project was not yet done and I needed about another three months in Boston. So I decided to contact the same lady who had called me about the ad in the store, and I said to her, "I know this may sound weird, but do you happen to know of anyone who wants to sublet an apartment for the next three months?" The phone was silent for a few seconds. I wasn't sure if she was still there. Ha! She was just catching her breath!

Turns out that the day, her roommate had advised her she'd be going to California for three months and asked if she could find someone to sublet her room for those three months? Wow! Talk about perfect! And not only that but, once I met the girl who was leaving, she gave me the keys to her car and said I could use it, free of charge, for the three months. Thank you, thank you, thank you Universe!

For any of you who are saying, "this sounds too good to be true", I would suggest you get rid of that statement/attitude/belief as it definitely is a hindrance to manifesting miracles.

All It Takes Is Faith!

So there you go... Those are a few of my stories of synchronicities, or miracles if you want to call them that. And my response to you (and to my husband) if you say that these things never happen to you is: 1) never say never, and 2) ah! ye of little faith!

You see, first it takes faith or trusting that the Universe will provide for your every need ("need", not desire or whim). Once you have that faith or confidence or belief, or whatever you want to call it, then the rest just requires listening to your intuition and doing things, or making calls, or asking questions, that others might consider "weird" but are just the Universe making its connections.

The Universe is a Great Connection-Maker

I am always amused and thrilled when I see the Universe doing its "connections" between people or events. Some call it coincidence, but I see it as much more than that. It's definitely being at the right place at the right time, but even more than that, it's being receptive to seeing the connections, or to making the connection oneself, or just trusting that a connection is there.

So, to share my favorite affirmation/mantra these days: I don't know what's going to happen, but I trust it's going to be GREAT.

Related book:

Holding a Butterfly: An Experiment in Miracle Making
(previously released as: Making Miracles -- Creating New Realities for Your Life and Our World)
by Lynn Woodland.

Holding a Butterfly: An Experiment in Miracle Making by Lynn Woodland.Holding a Butterfly—An Experiment in Miracle Making is about consciousness, time, quantum science and God, all woven into a series of practical, personal exercises in miracle-making. It will sweep you up in a collaborative experiment that’s sure to bend your mind, touch your heart and forever change reality as you’ve known it. What can you personally expect from this book? Be open to no less than the fulfillment of your dreams—just don’t expect the expected! Miracles awaken us to dreams we never thought to dream before, things our heart has always longed for but our minds have never known how to name, and these may compel you to leave predictability behind. Curious? Come join the experiment—it may just change your life! 

Click here for more info and/or to order the new edition of this book

About The Author

Marie T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also produced and hosted a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from 1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our own inner source of joy and creativity.

Creative Commons 3.0: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. Attribute the author: Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com. Link back to the article: This article originally appeared on InnerSelf.com