Happiness is a Choice I Make by Lynnette Alexander

It took me a long time to realize that I could simply choose to be happy instead of relying on happenstance and meander through life hoping happiness would find me. There is a perfect order in nature and everything is connected. I believe in the law of attraction and that coincidences show us our paths towards our desires and spiritual awakening. I started paying attention to my path when I was told to read The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. This story made me realize that if I followed the coincidences being shown to me, I would be guided on a path towards my desires (Redfield 4-6).
We often think of coincidences as peculiar connections between people and events that have no meaning or purpose. I believe coincidences are the same thing as synchronicity. In Wayne Dyer’s book, Inspiration Your Ultimate Calling, he says to consider what the word coincidence itself relates to as the mathematical idea that when two angles fit together perfectly, not accidentally perfectly, they coincide. So we can look at coincidences being an alignment of forces fitting together in flawless harmony (Dyer 4). Deepak Chopra tells Mike Myers on a show they did together, that if you’re a materialist you would say that coincidences are random events. If you understand Veda tradition, you understand that synchronicity is people orchestrating events together. There is a deeper significance, a deeper meaning, because in the deeper domain everything is inseparably correlated with everything else (Hulu 00:20 – 01:00).
For a while now I have given deep thought into what I want out of life. I have been noting the coincidences that come my way after making an intention of my desires.
In 2003 when I wanted to move from the desert to the West Coast, I looked up crime rates, average rent, schools, and wages in different areas along the West Coast. As soon as I started doing that, I noticed numerous coincidences every day. Whenever I was in a traffic jam it just so happened that the car in front of me would have an Oregon license plate. I met people from the Oregon coast often. The name Eugene would come up almost every day whether it referred to Eugene Oregon or some man named Eugene. There would be a story in the news about Oregon. I followed my coincidences with the faith that God, or some universal force, would provide for me. Because I was following the signs being shown to me, it turned out better than if I had planned it in detail. Everyone thought we were crazy moving somewhere without knowing anyone where we were going, without a job secured in place first, or setting up a place to live. My husband quit his job, left on Valentine’s Day, and found a job the first day he applied for work. I came to Oregon with the kids two weeks later and found a place to live the first day I was out house hunting. I just love making intentions and having them work out.
One night, when I was driving home from work, I was talking to God, as I often do when I am driving. I asked him if the coincidences being shown to us in our lives are signs given to us by our loved ones who have passed on, to show us our path, our destiny. I got home and fixed a snack to eat while I watched the shows that I had taped earlier in the day. One of them was “Crossing Over with John Edward”, which is a show where John Edward channels loved ones of the guests’ who have passed on. This segment John allowed the audience to ask questions, something rarely done on the show. One of the ladies in the audience asked the VERY same question I had asked God on my drive home! John said yes the coincidences in our lives are signs being shown to us by our loved ones who have passed /on. I felt validated and the coincidence was a clue to me that I was on the right spiritual path.
Another one of my intentions that I have made recently is that I align myself with teachers that are a perfect fit for me and my values. So far it has worked pretty well. All my teachers have been perfect for me and it just keeps getting even better. I signed up for a writing class that was not assigned a teacher yet, but I was confident whoever it was, was going to be a good match for me. Low and behold the teacher turned out to be Bill Woolum. Bill Woolum not only teaches writing, but implements a couple of life’s lessons into the work we do in class, happiness and reconciliation. Two of my biggest passions.
In an article we were assigned to read called “Secrets of Happiness” by Stephen Reiss,he says that value-based happiness is a sense that our lives have meaning and fulfill some larger purpose. I believe everyone has a purpose for living, that if they find a purpose and fulfill it with all their heart, they will meet with much success, success that not only fulfills their sustainability needs, but their spiritual needs as well. This is the reason I liked reading Buffalo for the Broken Heart by Dan O’Brien.
In his narrative story, Buffalo for the Broken Heart, Dan O’Brien cleverly finds a link between restoring nature on the Great Plains and happiness by following his morals. He values nature and his connection with nature. He learns how to run a meat producing ranch that doesn’t go against his values by converting his ranch from cattle to Buffalo. In doing so he brings back life’s different species of animals, plants and maybe even insects indigenous to the area. By letting nature take its natural course, Dan O’Brien restorers the land that he loves so well, he restores an indigenous animal to the Great Plains, he restores his connection with spirit and the opposite sex (O’Brien 28-29, 38-39, 251-252). He even restores some hair loss by eliminating stress (O’Brien 254). In going with the flow of nature instead of against it, his life is like a boat floating gently down the stream. That is an analogy I have learned from listening to Abraham Hicks, a collective spirit that is channeled through Esther Hicks.
In their analogy of life, if you fight the stream of well-being, you can bump up against the rocks and it can be a rough ride. If you turn the boat around and go with the flow, the ride can be a lot of fun (Hicks). I have learned to pull the oars in; to let go and let God. Ever since I have been doing that, my life has been so much less stressful. I feel my connection to Spirit and nature. I have been wondering what my life’s purpose is and what I should do for a living. So I prayed again the other day about what my life’s purpose is. I guess I have a hard time believing in myself. So I talked to my mother who has passed on, and asked her to give me a sign too. Then my niece, who is three years older than me, called about two hours after I talked to my mother. She needed someone to talk to. She was having a hard time with the events in her life.
I encouraged her that she was making the right choices and we talked about love and forgiveness. We both believe that we should love and forgive everyone just like Jesus tries to teach in the Bible with the Sermon on the Mount. “Matthew 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (King James). We both felt better after our talk, thanked each other, and said our I love you’s.
Maybe this is a sign from my mother to follow my values of family, love, and happiness. To be of service to others can be very rewarding especially in a spiritual way. I believe that we are all connected through life’s source and that everything happens for a reason. I believe that if you go within and ask God for guidance, that you will be shown the answers through coincidences. Our prayers get answered and we must pay attention and receive joy. Just the other day I was listening to Wayne Dyer’s Intention: our Ultimate Calling book on CD in the car and he was saying whatever you are excited about, or inspired about, is what you should be doing. Trust that the excitement you feel about doing certain things is your inner spirit telling you, “Yes! Yes!” and calling you to it. Don’t deny our inner calling and life will not deny you your happiness.
Works Cited
“Clip from the Mike Myers + Deepak Chopra episode of Iconoclasts, Season 3.” hulu.com. Hulu, 15 May 2011. Web. 15 May 2011. .
Crossing Over with John Edward. Dir. Dana Calderwood. 1999–2004. USA Cable Network, 2004. Videocasstte.
Dyer, Wayne. Inspiration Your Ultimate Calling. Carlsbad: Hay House, Inc., 2006. N. pag. CD.
Hicks, Abraham. “Abraham on: THE STREAM – Esther & Jerry Hicks.” youtube.com. youtube.com, 26 June 2007. Web. 12 May 2011. .
O’Brien, Dan. Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2002. Print.
- – -. “Meet Dan, Jill & Wild Idea Buffalo Co.” wildideabuffalo.com. N.p., 15 May 2011. Web. 15 May 2011. .
“Passage results: Matthew 5 (King James Version).” biblegateway.com. biblegateway.com, n.d. Web. 12 May 2011. .
Redfield, James. The Celestine Prophecy. New York: Grand Central Publishing Hachette Book Group, USA, 2006. Print.