Chance (18)

Dear Friend,

What do you do with a chance? Do you grab on to it with both hands? Or do you let fear of the unknown hold you back until the chance passes by? A chance is the possibility of something happening. Depending on the situation there is a chance that it could be positive or negative.

Monopoly was one of those board games that rarely went my way. I was okay with not winning. I always felt bad causing the financial ruin of other players. The best part of the game for me were the chance cards. I loved the mystery and potential opportunity of them. They could be a cash windfall or a weird tax of some kind. You never knew which way the chance card was going to go.

Every day that we wake up is like pulling a new chance card. You don't know what's going to happen or who you are going to meet. You take a chance stepping out your front door, going to the gym, driving to work or just running chores.

A few years ago my washing machine broke. I was forced to take my laundry to the the laundry mat in the next town because my town didn't have one. I was dreading it and put it off as long as I could. I had a lot to do and spending a couple hours doing laundry was not how I wanted to spend my time, friend. Oh well, it had to be done. I made my way there and secured a couple of the big machines. It was crowded, of course. There was a flat screen TV yelling news at us from its perch high on the wall. I tried to block it out but the voices of the newscasters permeated the air with bad news. It made everyone grumpy. The woman next to me said something unkind about the report. I turned to look at her as she turned to look at me. I could tell by the shock on her face that she instantly regretted what she had said. I took a chance to interact with her. I smiled as kindly as I could and said, "It's okay. I don't think anyone else heard you." She smiled back and said, "I can't believe I just said that. That's not like me!?"

That's where our conversation started. We talked the entire time and had fun solving all of the worlds problems, as you do at the laundry mat. She was in town visiting an ill family member but she lived with her husband in Pleasant Bay, Nova Scotia. She told me a fabulous story about how the Fire Department and Fishermen played a game of baseball every year on Canada Day with a group of Buddhist Monks from Gampo Abbey. There is a documentary about it on YouTube in 3 parts called Monks at Bat.

I loved this story! I was enthralled by it and by my new friend Mary. She spoke so passionately about two very different groups of people coming together to form friendships that strengthened their community. We had such a great conversation that we stood in the parking lot with our laundry baskets for another hour before saying good-bye. It was one of those strange encounters where you are so wrapped up in enjoying the experience that you forget to get any contact information. I don't know her last name, email address or phone number but I will always remember the day we spent in the laundry mat laughing and sharing stories. This chance encounter with Mary and her story of the monks inspired me to go on an adventure to a museum in NYC with a dear friend of mine. It was something I wouldn't have done if I hadn't heard Mary speak so eloquently about her Buddhist neighbors. That trip led me to try sound meditation which has been helpful in relieving my stress levels and anxiety.

Friend, take a chance today and try something new. Go somewhere out of your routine and pay attention to the people around you. There are opportunities everywhere for you to have a chance conversation or experience that could change the direction of your life or, at the very least, enhance it greatly. For example, two years ago I took a chance on my gym. I'm so glad I did. Some of my best friendships evolved from chance encounters there. I wish you the happiest new year. I hope it is full of good chances.

XO, Robin

P.S. If you liked this post please subscribe to my Blog! If you want to learn more about health and wellness please like my Facebook page Oh my Quad!