Are there coincidences, or is the universe steering us in some way? That’s a question I’ve pondered a lot the past couple of years. And it’s never been more on my mind than this week.
The evening I received news of Brunello’s illness and wrote his obituary the following day (see yesterday), my longtime friend Teresa Ramsay began sending me memories from her scrapbooks. Over the past year, she’d occasionally send me a photo she’d taken of me many years ago that she thought I might like. Some of the photos I remember, but others I don’t recall seeing before.
Then, last night, this collage from Middleburg Life showed up in my messages just when Lisa Towell texted to let me know that Brunello was stable, and the obituary I wrote could wait.
I have no memory of this collage being published, and the photo included of me was the first time I’d shown with Finally Farm on the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida. It was a special time for me. I had a catch ride aboard a sale horse named French Copper that the Towells were selling for her owner. I don’t think they expected much from me, and I recall their surprise and elation as I earned great scores and ribbons in the Adult Amateur Hunters among a competitive group.
At the time, I was a staff reporter for the Chronicle, and I had a very small salary. To show at WEF was a huge deal and a dream come true. I stayed with my friend Carrie in her RV, a way for me to save money but also to spend time with one of my best friends. After my first successful day of showing, I remember laying awake that night worrying that it was a fluke. “How could I do it again?” I barely slept.
But, the next day went just as well, and the mare ended up finding a new owner shortly afterward. My catch riding career was born, and showing with Finally Farm became a regular occurrence that brought me much success and helped me become a better horsewoman.
I believe the universe does help us along in our lives in some way, steering or influencing our course and then sometimes reminding us of where we’ve been in mysterious ways. I’m currently working on just such a project in a completely different realm, but more and more often I’m seeing these mysteries play out in my daily life. Perhaps it’s because I’m more attuned to it all and opening my mind to accept, but whatever the reason, I’m grateful.