Knocks on my shoulders

I love to be surprised by all the little clues that the universe sends out. Such seemingly random events can be so profound, although sometimes they are also difficult to catch or to grasp fully. And, many times, you just miss them entirely. But when they come not as single spies but in battalions – then you cannot ignore them. You just have to digest them and try to find the right message. This happened to me last week, so I thought I should share my story.

It all started on Thursday when my good friend, Nikki, gave me a DVD- “The Way”, starring Martin Sheen. He plays a Californian ophthalmologist who leaves his busy practice and business friends behind and starts a life-long pilgrimage. The movie was just ok with some nice moments and interesting ideas (although I am not going to watch it a second time).

On Friday my husband had to return a book to the library so I walked in with him. He was browsing the shelves, looking unsuccessfully for something else to read, and there I was – among the books when I noticed a title including the word ‘Ferrari’. I like nice cars, so I pulled out the book and it was Robin Sharma’s  “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”. I started to read it that very day and, as probably many already know, it is about a superstar lawyer who leaves everything – including his Ferrari! – behind, and starts searching for a new meaning to his life.

Both good and bad things come in threes, as they say. And so, on Saturday, we decided just to relax in the evening and to watch a movie which my husband rented - “The Men Who Stare at Goats”. Which – surprise, surprise – was again about a man who leaves his life behind. This time he goes to Iraq.

But it was only on Sunday morning – on our way to the church where we go once a week now during Lent - when it finally hit me. Three things of a kind in three consecutive days! Somebody must be knocking on my shoulders very, very hard!! Oh, God, I exclaimed – help me to work out what it is that I should understand!!! And – guess what? – he helped.

The gospel of the day told the story of when Jesus threw out all the money-changers from the temple. And there were three words in the sermon which got my total attention – “healthy transformative anger”. That’s it! This is it! The answer. Only where should I turn that anger and what should I leave behind?

A few days later I got an answer also to this question and how best to deal with negative forces. But about that – maybe some other time.