Synchronicity

The term synchronicity shows up early on in week three of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way (which I am currently halfway through!) and she likens them to answered prayers (which she says are scary). She tells you to be on the lookout for them every week there on out. One minute you are wishing, praying for something and the next thing you know, it’s right there. A weird coincidence. I don’t think synchronicity is scary but I’m not always paying attention for it either. A couple weeks ago it bowled me over.

If you have been following along these last several months, you might recall I have been unemployed since early January. I had a few weeks before unemployment benefits would kick in and from there I would have 26 weeks to find another job. I scanned the job listings casually at first, looking for a good fit. I was steering away from marketing jobs which I’d been doing for the last fifteen years, wanting something a little different. I also wanted to work part-time so I could spend more time writing. What is out there that fits this description? Retail, service jobs, low paying jobs. I am cool with less money but after thirty years of work history, I didn’t want something at minimum wage level. This is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

I didn’t worry so much those first few months. I had counted it out and I’d be able to collect unemployment until the end of October since I’d taken most of the month of July off to travel. While I was in job search mode, I was attending weekly meetings at a local career center and that was a great experience. I met up with fellow job seekers each week and we stayed positive with idea exchanges and the camaraderie of being in the same situation. If you are unemployed and struggling, I hope you can find something like this to help you through.

But as summer ended and the leaves began to turn, my optimism started to wane. I still had a few more weeks to find something. But then I started looking for a backup plan. I began the process to become a TSA agent at the airport. I love airports and travel and my particular airport is less than a 10 minute drive. I am currently partly through the long, tedious process awaiting the next step which is an in person interview.

What does this have to do with synchronicity? On Sunday morning, a couple of weeks ago, just after I submitted my weekly unemployment, I received an email saying that was it. My last unemployment check would be that week. I didn’t have a job. Was I worried? Honestly, not really. OK, maybe a little. Would I be working retail in the worst season possible? God bless everyone who does it because I was once there and know your pain. Do you know how many unhappy people live in this big beautiful world of ours?

Back to synchronicity. The next evening, my husband came home with a potential job for me. It is part-time, not in marketing, in a small office environment, doing meaningful work. Check, check, check, check. If that is not God’s hand answering a prayer at the right time, I don’t know what is. I start on Tuesday.

MC