Follow the Twinkle Lights…

Epiphany: a moment of sudden revelation or insight. 

When I think of attempting to write about a specific “epiphany” in my life, I am, quite frankly, at a loss. I equate an epiphany with a bolt of lightning bringing sudden insight, or an out of body or near- death experience. I picture a large flashing light bulb appearing over my head with an arrow pointing  toward the “Truth”.

I would be disingenuous to write a story about this subject as I have never experienced such a revelation. I would also venture a guess that this would apply to a vast majority of people.

But what I can do is share some ideas with which, I believe, others can identify. Instead of the “light bulb moments”, I have what I call the “little twinkle light” moments. Small coincidences that when they occur seem somewhat magical and demand my attention, if only for an instant. They cause me to catch my breath and wonder at the serendipity of life. I then, for a brief moment in time, feel a connectedness to something larger than myself.

Some examples that come to mind include: a chance encounter with an old friend you were just thinking about; a book loaned to you that has the exact answer you were looking for; finding your keys in the same place you have looked for them three times before; hearing a song on the radio that soothes your broken heart; taking a wrong turn and ending  up meeting the love of your life; or maybe what you thought was a disaster turns out to bring something wonderful.

My life, in retrospect, has so many twinkle lights I could be mistaken for a Christmas tree. I was stood up by a blind date, but through a series of misadventures ended up meeting my husband. I received an email out of the blue that led me to my new profession. A post on Facebook allowed me to take my business to a much higher level. A beautiful, lamented book mark appeared in a gutter as I was at a low ebb in my life with the quote “God blessed the world with special women like you”. Rejections turned into much better opportunities. Chance encounters have led to very cherished and unexpected friendships. They were all small detours and messages at the time, but together they have made all the difference.

These incidences alter your course, only minutely perhaps, and then you continue on your way.   But if you take a closer look, with some time and distance between you and these occurrences, you now see that these little glimmers of coincidence are actually all strung together, like strings of twinkle lights, guiding your path.

Your perception shifts.   You see how the dots in your life begin to connect, all linked together by those strings of twinkle lights. You understand that the things that happened in your past, both good and bad, were required to get you to your current destination. You begin to see how everything that happened was a blessing. Your fear begins to melt into faith and you have renewed appreciation that everything has turned out for your benefit. You can see the magic and the infinite in the small serendipities of life.

You start telling a different story about what how you lead a charmed and mystical life. What you had previously perceived as failures are now turned into tales of bravery, how you overcome obstacles and stay the course, how you slay dragons and return home triumphant.  You claim your rightful place in the cosmos and constantly become aware of, and appreciate, all the small twinkling messages from the universe.

These moments now come faster and more often, bringing bigger grins and better choices.   Soon the twinkle lights are lighting each step you take.

You fear nothing as you now have faith in everything. You are in constant motion, growth and love. Your world, your options, your ideas, and your dreams are in continuous expansion. Your path, although still just visible one step at a time, is guaranteed to lead you home.

And it all started with one twinkle light, showing you a glimpse of the infinite.

Hey, maybe this is an epiphany!