Are you paying attention? Are you just going through the motions or are you really, fully plugged into life? We all slip into numbness. You know the feeling. You zone out in front of the television rather than expend the energy to have a meaningful conversation with someone you care about. Your days are a blur that consist merely to check off items from your 3-page ‘To Do’ list.

It usually takes something dramatic to jar us out of our numbness, perhaps a random act of kindness from a stranger or a particularly strong message in a movie or even some heartache or tragedy that makes us realize our time here is precious and fleeting.

For me, it happened in New York City on a perfect Saturday afternoon. I had flown into New York early that morning for an event in Central Park. It was mid-October and the leaves were bright oranges and reds. The sky was clear blue with powder puff clouds. The sun was shining and the autumn air was crisp. The park was packed with people of all shapes and sizes. As we approached the stage, I could hear the music playing, skaters were dancing all around us, it was a magnificent day.

I like to think of myself as someone who lives in the moment. However, I am also someone who tends to focus on goals so intently that I sometimes put blinders on to all else. I let myself fall into a false sense of struggle rather than believing that all is in divine order. I fool myself into thinking I have control over everything and when things don’t go according to my plan, I get frustrated. This was one of those times. Actually, the last six months had been one of those times. The sense of frustration and struggle had been overwhelming. I found myself constantly asking; “What do I do now?” What I was really asking was “How do I control this?”

On this particular day, musicians, authors, artists and students had come together to spread the message of peace and love. Our intention was to sensationalize the message of Love rather than the messages we see on the nightly news. As the event began, I noticed a young woman doing yoga on a hill behind the stage. She was so graceful. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her. She seemed to completely merge with the Earth, at home in her body, flowing in and out of positions effortlessly.

They called my name and I walked onto the stage. I spoke for about 30 minutes. Moments after my presentation, the beautiful Yoga Girl approached me. She said she heard me speaking and was moved to give me the book she had just finished. I didn’t get her name or her number to thank her. As I read the book on the plane headed home, I smiled to myself. The title SPIRITUAL SERENDIPITY: Cultivating and Celebrating the Art of the Unexpected, said it all. It was my wake-up call to let go of the struggle, stop trying to control the future and notice the magic all around me.

Eckart Tolle, author of The Power of Now, said; Nothing you have ever experienced, done, thought or felt has taken place anytime other than NOW. Life is Now. Is it overly simplistic to consider this wake-up call exactly what I needed to snap me out of my ‘funk’? Maybe, but most of us spend upwards of 90% of our moments thinking about past or future events. This reminder brought me back home – to the calm center that lives inside of me. Since that day, I’ve been telling myself to stop thinking so much about the future, (even if it’s only 5 minutes in the future) and to keep bringing my attention back to the Now.

I am so grateful for my angel disguised as the Yoga Girl in Central Park that day. She inspired me to order 30 copies of Spiritual Serendipity to give away randomly. I plan to do my part to keep the magic flowing.

Sandy Grason
www.SandyGrason.com