Living in the Magic of the Unexpected
Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.
—W. Clement Stone
During a summer writing conference, in a breakout session with a well-known fiction author, I was struck by a comment he made as he led us through an exercise on writing powerful endings. He said his goal as a writer was to leave his reader feeling pleasantly surprised to the point that they would proclaim, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming, but it couldn’t have ended any other way.”
It reminded me that while goals are good to have and desired outcomes are the ideal, there is nothing more satisfying than an unexpected gift that you didn’t see coming—outcomes that are better than anything you could have imagined.
I’ve always referred to these gifts as synchronicities, those moments when the universe steps in and gives you something better than you could have ever designed for yourself. This kind of magic happens when you allow yourself to be open to the opportunities that present themselves, sometimes out of nowhere.
It speaks to the beauty of the unexpected when you honor the organic twists and turns of your creative path, breathing in the reality that life often brings circumstances that are not part of your original plan, but somehow, they take you on a magical journey that makes sense once you arrive at a point that brings an aha moment.
Dancing among the Stars and Landing on the Stage
When you follow a path of synchronicity, being curious about where you are being led and remaining open to any surprises along the way, it’s interesting how life can circle you back around, older and wiser, reconnecting you to a lifelong dream—just when you’ve thought the dream would never happen. It creates moments of serendipity that feel like you’ve never stepped away.
Just two years shy of sixty, I saw a social media post by a local repertory theatre company announcing the launch of a program designed for people who were fifty-five and older with a passion for theatre and a yearning to find their way back to the stage. It appeared in my newsfeed as if it had been planted there by the divine, and I found myself responding without a second thought. I registered for the program with a note that said, “Perfect timing for a dream come true!”
My creative calling had found its way back, catching me pleasantly by surprise, swooping me up in a gentle wind, and putting me on the stage, a place I had been many times before in a variety of different ways, this time with an opportunity to breathe life back into a childhood dream that felt abandoned. I was given the opportunity to play a character that tapped deeply into my joy state, triggering a profound sense of purpose. I didn’t see it coming, and yet there I was.
It was like riding a bike. Everything came back to me, filling every cell of my being, like I had never left. It was the most magical experience with the most amazing people, and I rediscovered a part of myself that I truly thought I had lost. It inspired a sense of aliveness in me, one I had not felt for a really long time.
When Your Journey Has a Mind of Its Own
While we can dream, hope, wish, and set the best of intentions, our creative journey has a mind of its own. It knows the right timing. Your job is to remain open and allowing.
Synchronicity is your best friend on a creative journey of self-discovery. Keep your eyes open and pay attention to the direction in which the universe chooses to guide you. You will always be in the right place at the right time as long as you stay true to yourself and your heart’s desire.
Take a moment to ponder a time when you have yearned for a creative experience that had been a big part of your childhood and even early adulthood, but because of “taking the respectable path” or following through on a series of obligations, the creative path that you were traveling on suddenly disappeared.
Like a bright moon in the night sky that becomes covered by the incoming storm clouds, your creative dream goes into hiding.
Now imagine many years later being in the right place at the right time when an opportunity pops up—one that you didn’t see coming, but the door to your creative dream swings wide open. The moment catches you by surprise, and you are suddenly invited in.
In your journal, write about this experience in the present tense as if it were happening in real time and allow yourself to get caught up in the moment, fully immersed in gratitude as you are transported back to a creative dream unfulfilled.
The Gift of Landing among the Stars
When we are paying attention and grounded in gratitude, we see things we will not have seen otherwise. We see synchronicities—those divinely inspired moments when the universe does her magic and gives you something better than what you thought might have been achievable.
You may aim for the moon yet end up among the stars, and when you look around and take it all in, you realize it is exactly where you needed to be. It’s a reminder to do the work, but trust the process by allowing it to lead you.
As you continue to move toward bringing your creative calling into full light, know that you can always aim for the moon. And if you miss it, you will land among the many beautiful stars, each one offering their own special kind of magic.
About Tina Games
