November 10th, 2014

Dear Elaina-

Every path has some form of delineation. Whether paved, bricked, or simply worn from continued use, by its very definition, a path is made by those who tread upon it. And much like the construction of that last sentence, you’ve passively created your path. Life happened and you reacted to it, and you were happy just to be able to keep your head above water and tread.

But something happened when you were treading. You looked around and saw there could be more. And not things, you’ve never been one to be motivated by “stuff.” More the idea that life doesn’t have to be a knee jerk. You could take a step back and plot a course. “Plod a course” would be a more apropos word because let’s face it, grace has never been your strong suit. And that’s okay. That’s another thing you noticed while treading. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t even have to strive for perfection. As a matter of fact, you can revel in your imperfections, but that’s probably a topic for another letter.

Today’s letter is about delineating your path. You want your life to be based on a set of beliefs and principles that guide you. Rather than react to life, you want to absorb it and make decisions based upon these ideals. The most prominent idea resonating deeply these past few weeks is the idea that there are no coincidences. People come and go from your life for a reason. Things happen for a reason. You don’t believe in fate, but you believe people are all connected. Whether or not we are conscious of this connection, forces bring us together and there’s something to be learned from that merging.

When you first encountered this idea, you scoured every interaction in your life for meaning. You didn’t want to miss a single message, nuance, or arrow that might point you in a direction you would have otherwise missed. You made myself crazy wondering what good could come out of dealing with rude parents, difficult students, and obnoxious administrators. It wasn’t until your good friend and mentor posed the idea perhaps you were the one delivering the message. Your life hit the brakes with that thought. Like the path you’d been forging, you’d taken a passive role. Your friend’s comment shifted your perspective. It empowered you. Until that moment, you hadn’t realized you had any impact on anyone.

Caught up in the day to day tasks of life, you sometimes forget this concept. Dishes, laundry, drop-offs, pick-ups, you forget to be open to the universe, these encounters, the energy. You forget to take an active role in life, often treading water, but these letters are forcing your hand. True to this belief that there are no coincidences, the start of this project and the ensuing plans; none of this is accidental. You are meeting new people, learning new things, letting go of what’s not needed and making way for your future. A purpose filled future, a future that should be.

So this week Elaina, on your Manifesto of Life — Belief #1. There are no coincidences. Be open to possibilities and to receiving messages, and more importantly, be open to the possibility that you might be the bearer of the message. Be mindful in your interactions with people. Listen to your gut. Pay attention to your intuition. Learn from your mistakes and recalibrate.

Life works best when there’s balance and harmony.

Perhaps within this belief of no coincidences, the underlying message is we have something for each other. There’s a give and take and as we learn and grow, we move forward. The hard part of this belief is sometimes you have to let people go. There are no coincidences and sometimes their time in your life is over. Don’t cling. Don’t hang on. Let them walk the path they need to walk. It’s a cliche, but if they’re supposed to be in your life, they will find their way back. In the meantime, use what they taught you to move forward.

You’ve begun your path. You’ve laid the first brick. No coincidences. Live life with purpose.

E