fate with a twist

“If given the opportunity to glimpse into your future, would you take it?” I ask my twelve-year-old brother on a lazy afternoon. The question pops into my head on occasion, and I am always intrigued by the answers I receive.

“I’d only want to see it for a minute, for peace of mind,” he responds, as if he’s thought of his answer before. “Then, I’d want to immediately forget it.”

“My thoughts exactly,” I reply. And it’s true. Many times in my life I wonder if I’m making the right decisions, if my efforts to build the life of my dreams will be fruitful. I contemplate how certain moments in my life fit into a greater plan. Like my five-year-old self on Christmas Eve, I’d love the chance to peek at my present before it’s time. But then again, why ruin the surprise?

NOVEMBER 2010 - CHICAGO, IL

At the Bean

I am travelling on business and my boyfriend, Adam, decides to meet me for the weekend. It has been several years since either of us has visited The Windy City, and we spend the entire first day soaking up the sights. From Sears Tower to Millennium Park, there is not one inch of downtown we don’t cover.

That evening, as we walk to dinner, I realize how amazed I am by this city. The buildings are so tall; it’s as if they bend down to embrace the bustles of people on the sidewalks below. Each passer-by shares this moment in time. From near and far, they are united for mere seconds on a single block.

As we approach the restaurant door I pause for a moment to gaze across the street.

“Isn’t it fantastic?” I say aloud.

We enjoy a quiet dinner, and continue our weekend. Monday morning arrives and it is time to return home.

Two years later, and my business trip that November seems a lifetime away. I have changed jobs twice since then, and moved to the very city I came to love in 2010. Memories from that weekend like Navy Pier and the old Marshall Fields are now a part of my everyday life. But I would have never imagined re-living such a simple moment as my walk to dinner.

NOVEMBER 2012 – CHICAGO, IL

It’s Friday morning and I arrive at the office for the first time. My team has just moved to a new building in the city, and I am settling in and unpacking my desk. I spend the morning connecting my computer and gathering office supplies, and it is almost lunch time before I stand up to look at my view. As I approach the window, it’s as if I've stepped into A Christmas Past. There, across the street, is the very restaurant I had pensively stared from just two years before.

My mind races to the lazy afternoon with my brother.  While I absolutely believe I have a place in God’s plan, I cannot say with any certainty whether I accept the concept of destiny. Call it fate or call it fluke, but I have literally stared into my future. And, exactly as I’d have preferred, I didn’t know it. Life goes on and I begin to see more of the full picture. As it turns out, the trials and elbow grease along the way are worth it, and it’s moments like this I understand that I am where I’m meant to be.