For a while now I have been recording all of the ways that I know there is a powerful energy watching over – subject intentionally not chosen because I don’t know if it is me, or us, or everyone; I want to believe, and I think I do believe, it is everyone. Yet, I am only privy to the serendipitous events that happen to me and those who share them with me. Here are some that have stuck with me through the years.
1—The past couple of months I have started writings with “hello world,” it has felt like the only appropriate greeting. Now as I sit alone in my apartment reading the book about coding for ArcGIS, the first example text was “Hello World.”
Side thoughts: As I wrote today, I wondered why I have recently been writing in lower case letters. I assumed that I liked the aesthetics more, and maybe I still do, but as I was putting more attention in the drafts I was writing I noticed this conscious decision surpassed such minor physicalities and was rooted in a subconscious lack of self-esteem in wanting to write formally. By capitalizing letters or adhering to proper grammar, that meant I had put more thought, that this was refined work, that this was [[really me]]. In using informalities, I was able to chalk up misspellings or poor writing to the haste that I wrote in, that I didn’t actually try that hard to write whatever it was that I was writing. In doing so, I disowned what I produced; scared to fully say this is done. Now, I don’t know how I feel…I am self-conscious about my writing, but this is what came out. This is how I write; mejor dicho, how I think.
2—I was working in Costa Rica and had been thinking for a long time that I was so fascinated with restaurants. I thought this summer would be the perfect time to just work nights at a local café or restaurant, and another way to improve my Spanish skills! I had put a lot of thought towards how I could do this in my small town of Puerto Jimenez, but nothing had materialized. A couple of weeks later I had finished up my field work and went to work in the National Park of Corcovado – it was there I was required to cook breakfast (starting at 5am!), lunch, and dinner for the group of tourists that were “camping” there! I learned all I need for the rest of my life…
3—Elsa and Greg had really wanted to go snorkeling, and I would have gone along if it worked out for the experience, but didn’t really want to because it was so expensive! When it came down to it, the timing didn’t work for all three of us to go. While working with Marcus in the park, we were in route to be stationed on an island (one of the “best conserved” in Costa Rica, and he asked me to jump out and take a look.
4—In our little town a large group of young guys played soccer every afternoon, but I could never muster up the courage to jump in and play with us. Still having the strong desire to play soccer on the beach in Costa Rica, I ended up spending my afternoons on the beach of the Sirena station juggling with Miguel.
5—I wasn’t supposed to go with Adolfo to a lively reunion with his family in the countryside of Colombia [swoon], but accompany Lina and Carlos for the day in which we ended up at an all vegan yoga festival in Bogota!
6—For the whole summer I was stressing about how I was going to conseguir a bike for Haley to use in the fall. I couldn’t justify buying one, but knew I wouldn’t have enough time to go to yellow bike with her! Thennn, the day I was moving back into my place my sub-leasers from the summer told me they would just like to leave their two road bikes with me because they never used them!
MAC DEMARCO CAME ON THE STEREO OF THE COFFEESHOP I WAS WRITING IN! [[this comes after a day of sitting at a coffeeshop earlier with absolutely TERRIBLE music – the world is waching over me – and you ]]
…then just as I finished typing that she changed the music… don’t get too excited too soon… #1 rule of GIS
7—I began college thinking that I really wanted to be an editor as I love reading and editing, but after I realized this would be quite the lonely stressful life, I quickly switched majors. However, all came full circle when I started working with a fluvial geomorphologist from Argentina who needed an editor for all of his academic work.
8—I hastily bought a ticket to Rio but didn’t know where I would stay or who these friends of friends I was visiting actually were. A little hesitant to go, I made no rush to make the train to catch my bus, and I ended up missing it. I knew there would be many other buses making this trip, so I said I would take the next one in two hours. Feeling as though everything was caving in, I had no where to stay, I was starved, I had only seen cheese and meat wherever I went, the 7 hotels I called were booked, and of the 9 people I reached out to on couch-surfing all had no space, I really felt like I should just accept that it wasn’t meant to be. Right on the brink of feeling completely overwhelmed and out of control, I put all of my thought and energy towards faith in the universe. As cheezy as it sounds, I had to remember that at the end of the day, there is always another bus and there is always somewhere to stay even if it means I just have to pay a little more. Carolina, my one direct contact in Rio, recognizing that everything was failing sent along a hotel recommendation. Had everything not worked she would have never tried and I would have never been able to tell her that it was just me and I couldn’t have stayed with her! Once that was settled I decided to wander to farthest corners of this bus station in search of food and I was able to find the only restaurant that sold rice and salad and vegetables!
Writing this I really don’t believe that all such coincidences happen through travel as seems to be conveyed. I think it takes us being completely removed from our normal environments, being forced to be hyperaware of every decision, and appreciate all small successes. This has been typical of traveling for me, but I strive to be cognisant and appreciative all of these small events in my daily life …. Yeah yeah ya cheez ball.
9 – had the weirdo not hit on me on the bus the old man would have never asked to help. Had the atm worked for me, we would have never shared a cab.
Then I just re-read an old rant: “maybe i’ll work in policy, maybe i’ll work for world wildlife fund, maybe i’ll work in a grocery store, maybe i’ll be a professor, maybe i’ll work on radiolab (it’d be cool to speak on their show), maybe i’ll work for [walk in the park just came on, really feeling this song right now] the governments in the tropics, maybe i’ll work on the sustainable development team of an oil and mining company (not too surprisingly they actually have to build up a lot of the infrastructure of the regions they go into), maybe i’ll run away to the mountains forever..” this is from May 22nd before I knew about any of my plans for grad school (environmental policy) or working for a mining company (freeport-mcmoran) or working with the national park, or being a TA! woah. put your energy into what you are really feeling folks.
10 – I realized that I had lost a ring that I made in the move to Phoenix and just assumed if I only lost one thing, well it’s not too bad. Then, I was on my way to work my 4th or 5th day and my darn clicker to the gate wouldn’t work – while sitting in the same spot after about 5 minutes I looked down and noticed there my ring was shining right at me 🙂
11- My best friend from Colombia was suppoesd to come live with me in Phoenix for the month of July and not only was I looking forward to her living with me, but I was also excited by the prospect of speaking spanish at home with a native speaker. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to make it (but will meet me in Boston in September), and I was left alone for the summer. Yet, not a week into the job when I was walking out the door and an intern who had started for the day asked where I was staying. He had just drove in that morning from Mexico and was going to find a house for the summer at 5pm when he got off work. I invited him to stay and with my spare bedroom; it’s a perfect fit.
12- While on the phone with my new landlord he said “this was too perfect for a coincidence, it’s almost like magic” when he saw my email asking to live in his little home that he grew up in right next to Tufts 🙂
Jessie's High Horse 