“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein
I love miracles! I’ve discovered something about miracles over the years. I used to think that miracles were rare, mysterious occurrences that were an exception to life. Now I realize that quite the opposite is true. When you are looking for miracles, you discover that they happen all the time. And they give a spice and richness to life like nothing else.
What are your beliefs about miracles? When was the last time you noticed a miracle in YOUR life? What constitutes a miracle for you, and where do you find them? Dictionary.com lists a variety of definitions for miracle, but my definition is anything that produces wonder and awe that’s beyond the “mundane” of life. I think of a miracle as something that tickles my soul, creating an appreciation for the mystery and spontaneity of life. Some things I call miracles: being in love, a new baby, the improbable purple of a crocus in spring snow, the serendipity of events that can’t even be imagined. Are these types of things available to us whenever we choose? Absolutely! I don’t believe you have to wait for a miracle to show up. I think you can look for them, ask for them, create them, and embrace them.
Look for miracles
Many years ago Joel and I took a cruise to Alaska. What an amazing place! One of the ports was Ketchikan, known for its eagle population. We took an excursion and saw several mature bald eagles, as well as adolescent eagles with their brown mottled coloring. As the ship was pulling away from the dock to leave the port, I overheard a woman complaining loudly. As she stared down at the decks and water below her, she complained that after all these hours in Ketchikan, she hadn’t seen an eagle. I looked up and there, soaring gracefully over the ship, was an eagle. If this woman had simply looked for an eagle, she would have seen one. But by never truly looking for eagles, she left Ketchikan thinking they didn’t exist there. The Buddha is quoted as saying, “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” The miracles of nature and life are all around if we remove the veil of skepticism. As you go through your “normal” life, are you staying alert to the miracles all around you?
Ask for miracles
The way I met Elsa Jewett, a dear friend and colleague, was through what I consider a miracle. I wanted to meet a professional organizer who I really liked and admired. I met a couple of organizers through networking events, but never felt that spark of connection. Then I met a business consultant with whom I considered doing some work. Since she was well connected in the business community, I asked for her referral. She gave me Elsa’s information. Very shortly after that, I had a complete falling-out with the person – a situation that had never happened before in my life. It turned out Elsa had virtually the same experience with the business consultant. It was as if her sole purpose in our lives was to connect us, and then she vanished. I believe that very strange situation happened because I asked for something in a consistent and expectant way. And I received my miracle! Are you holding yourself back from something special and amazing in your life, simply because you aren’t willing to ask for it? What is a miracle you would like to ask for in a consistent and expectant, but not demanding, way?
Create miracles
I believe you can create miracles, intentionally or unintentionally. I created an unintentional miracle I hope never to repeat. I used to work in a busy office building with a company cafeteria that was open to the public. On a Friday afternoon I attended a meeting in the cafeteria during the lunch hour. I was so involved in the conversation, then so distracted by all my appointments the rest of the day, that it wasn’t until I was ready to go home that evening that I realized I had left my purse in the cafeteria! Dangling on the back of a chair, available for anyone to take it, my purse was left in a public cafeteria at the busiest time of the day! By the time I realized it, though, the cafeteria had long since closed. Fortunately I had my car keys, and could drive myself home. Of course, I was worried about my credit cards, all my bank and personal information; my imagination went wild as to what could happen. I’ll save you the full story. The miracle that happened was that some honest person turned my purse into the security office, which called me over the weekend to report they had it. Nothing was missing, nothing had even been disturbed. I’ll never know who to thank for that miracle, but I believe I had help in creating a miracle that day! What is a miracle you would like to create in your own life, or in the life of another? What would you need to do, or who would you need to be, to make that happen? You CAN create miracles!
Embrace miracles
Sometimes miracles show up in a package that isn’t pleasant or what we want. We might call it “bad luck,” or a “bad accident” and resist it or try to block it out. Yet if you look at my definition of producing wonder and awe that’s beyond “mundane,” situations we label as “bad” can be miracles. Several months ago I was involved in a car accident that was completely improbable. It was one of those “wrong place at the wrong time” situations, and I collided with another car in an almost head-on collision. Each of the cars was going about 60 miles per hour at the time of impact. Yet neither person involved sustained serious injuries. Why that wildly random accident happen in the first place, and why the injuries weren’t nearly as severe as you would expect, is completely unexplainable. Everything about that “accident” I consider to be a miracle. However, rather than ponder why it happened, I seek to embrace the situation and know that it is in my life for a reason. Where have you been involved in a miracle, but because it was a “bad” experience, you try to avoid it or become a victim to it? What could be different for you if you viewed the experience as a miracle, and allowed yourself the perspective and healing that comes from that place?
Imagine living in a world where miracles are happening all the time. Imagine being like a child, appreciating the wonder and mystery of this thing we call life. I believe that miracles remind us to pause, reflect, and deepen our appreciation of the mysteries of daily living. Sometimes I think that just getting The Spark out is a miracle for me! What’s a miracle you want to create in your life? The first step is to Believe in Miracles!
