Monday, July 30, 2018

COINCIDENCE OR GUIDING FORCE


Had something a bit weird happen to me. I was needing a haircut but I was not excited about going to my regular beauty shop.

The last time they had a new male operator so I gave him a try. He gave me the worst hair cut of my life. There were three different lengths in the back from ear to ear. Short on the left, long in the middle and the right side matched neither.  I have no idea what he was thinking. Maybe he was on something.  He didn't give me a mirror to check the back and I wasn't aware how awful it was till I got home.

Luckily my recent company from Ohio is a retired beautician and she did the best she could with what he left. She saved my bacon.

Over a month had passed and since my hair grows quickly, I needed a cut once more. Well, since I couldn't go back there, I had to find a new beautician. That is about as much fun as finding a new gynecologist or dentist.

We have about 20 shops in tiny town so I went a hunting.  The first one I tried was booked up and couldn't take me till mid-week.  Then as I was driving past a small strip mall, I was strangely drawn to a small shop I had never noticed before.

I thought 'what the hey' and gave it a shot. Someone was coming out as I entered and one of the three chairs was vacant as a beautician was sweeping up hair.

I asked if they took walk ins and she smiled and pointed to her chair. "Sure thing," she said.

Then she said. "Don't I know you?"

Well I am not good with faces. Then she told me who she was. Two years ago I found a beautician I really liked but shortly after I found her, she got married and left town. Here she was, back in town with a vacant chair like she was waiting for me. She cut it a bit short for my taste but it was necessary to get it all even.

What made me turn into that strip mall that I normally drive past?  Coincidence or was some thing guiding me?  A friend of mine thinks the latter.

If I do have a guiding force, you suppose they can help me pick winning lotto numbers?

Have you ever had a sudden, unexplained urge to do something that proved to be to your advantage?  What do you think it was--coincidence or guiding force?

55 comments :

  1. I'd like to think it's a guiding force, but who is the guiding force? I'm not sure God would worry about our haircuts, as he has bigger things to worry about, but then the Bible says he knows how many hairs we have on our head, so maybe he influences the small stuff too. :D

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    2. Joey,
      I forgot about his knowing how many hairs we have but like you say, he has some really big problems to handle but maybe there are some rookie angels that handle the small stuff. Perhaps a loved one who has passed?

      Olga--I agree.

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  2. I’ve had what I’ve considered some serendipitous experiences but can’t recall any specific ones at the moment to describe here. I do recognize when they happen that this is special in some way.

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    1. Joared,
      Serendipity would have been a better choice of words than coincidence. You are right, when they happen they make an impression.

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  3. I am a total non-believer when it comes to coincidence.

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    1. Olga,
      You and every police detective I've ever heard quoted.

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  4. And I don't think there's such a thing as coincidence. It was your guardian angel pointing you back towards your favorite hairdresser. Happens to me all the time. Glad to hear you know where that person is these days. Bet you'll be back in a month or two. :-)

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    1. Djan,
      Maybe it is the same one who nudged me to go to the chiropractor and fixed my lawnmower. I sure am keeping them busy

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  5. I believe in serendipity and the fact that sometimes we are more open than others to trying things we normally wouldn't do...like you going to a strip mall shop. If we credit God for all the good little things that happen in life then don't we also have to blame Him or another force for the bad little things?

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    1. Jean R,
      I tend to think God handles the big stuff and his employees handle the daily small stuff. I feel I am mostly to blame for the little bad things.

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    2. No. God does not cause bad things. Satan does. But God works good for those who love him. I praise Him for all good things every day.

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  6. I think a haircut was on your mind when most days it isn’t. You were more sensitive to things in your sourroundings related to haircuts.

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    1. Linda,
      What was interesting is that before I went on my search, I had Googled my former beautician hoping she was back in town but found no trace.

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  7. It is called Fate:-) My story is sad. We moved from Kansas to Oklahoma. In Kansas I had a beautician who could cut my wigs beautifully. Someone told me about a lady who could probably cut my wigs for me. I found her and ask if she could cut wigs and she responded yes. She butchered my brand new wig. What! Have you ever cut a wig before? No, she said but I figured it would be just like cutting hair. Turns out she couldn't do that very well either. Of course wigs don't grow back. She wouldn't pay for my wig and insisted I pay for the cut. Yikes!!!

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    1. Annie,
      That is just horrible. A bad haircut will grow out in a few weeks, a wig never. Can't believe she had the gall to make you pay for the cut. Grrr.

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  8. I'm so glad you found a good beautician, and especially someone you liked from a while back. That's the best! I believe utterly in coincidence. The universe is huge, and the randomness of events is what makes them so profoundly interesting.

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    1. robin
      I am torn between coincidence and guiding force. Either way it was a delightful surprise.

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  9. I believe the universe "gives us opportunities", if only we listen to the voice or urging that says, ya need to go here or there. I have been just driving home after errands and the urging has led me to several really kick ass adventures, treasures I didn't know where available here, or new folks to visit with (sometimes it's all three at once). I love that you reconnected with someone that obviously was meant to be in your life or you hers for ?????????????? to be announced. At least that's how I view it. xoxo Oma Linda

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    1. Oma linda,
      How true. I could have ignored that little shop and looked for a more established one. So glad I turned in.

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  10. Amazing how things like that happen.... We always need to go with our URGES ---no matter how crazy they may seem at the time.... She was definitely waiting on you --with that empty chair.... NEAT...

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  11. Betsy,
    The empty chair floored me. It could have been any of the other beauticians available but they were all with clients. Pays to listen to our gut.

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  12. I'm afraid I go with coincidental accidents. Being to calculating to think otherwise...:)

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    1. Ray,
      I tend to sit on the fence on this one. Many times I think like you, others I lean towards intervention.

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  13. I believe in synchronicity... (guiding forces. guardian angels, whatever). Things happen and sometimes if you're aware enough to recognize it, the universe is trying to give you what you need. Doesn't have to be a religious experience... maybe just a universal consciousness. May sound crazy, but its the way my mind works.

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    1. Rian,
      I can definitely see that point and you are right, sometimes we don't even recognize what just happened might be special.

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  14. There are people who would think getting a good hair stylist is better than having the winning lotto numbers.

    My SIL is a shop owner, she takes care of my golden lock (no plural) for free and she is the best!

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    1. joeh,
      Got a good point there. Aren't you lucky to have one in the family. Don't let her get away.

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  15. Not a believer in "guiding forces" I find it a fortuitous accident. Whatever it was, it worked out well for both of you!

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    1. Linda R,
      How true. No matter what it was, I was the beneficiary. Now if she just stays put.

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  16. I'd take any guiding force working in my favor. If all I got out of it was a good haircut, I'd still be a believer.

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    1. Marty,
      You are so right. Mine should not be to reason why but to just enjoy.

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  17. The God who knows the number of hairs on your head can guide you anywhere. I don't believe in coincidence or luck. I believe all things happen for a reason though we may not understand why at the moment. I just heard about a young man who had been adopted twenty some years ago finding his birth mother when he found out his grandfather was a Presbyterian minister. He was searching and one week in a newspaper he was reading, there was an obituary of a man who was a Presbyterian minister. The young man did some research and discovered the man was his grandfather and his daughter was the young man's mother. Happenstance? Coincidence? I think God was guiding him. Yes, there was a death, but there was also a reunion. God closes a door and opens a window. Glad you found a good hair dresser. They are hard to find.

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    1. Snickelfritz,
      Now that is a great story with a delightful ending. He and his birth mother were truly blessed by the reunion..

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  18. Neat. Life certainly is full of surprises. And this one had a very happy ending.

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    1. Barbara,
      You just made me realize this might not have had a happy ending. What if when I opened the door, there stood worst hair cut ever guy with a big smile and an empty chair? Yikes.

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  19. Probably a guiding force and not really to my advantage, but it did lead me to help someone else and brought me to where I am today and the someone else is also on a more even keel now.

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    1. River,
      You evidently were the guiding force in that person's life. Fortunate for you both.

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  20. Hair today, gone tomorrow! (Sorry, couldn't resist!). As for guiding forces, I would love it be true. I've found it best not to question everything but to go happily where life takes you - and it it's to a great hairdresser, that's wonderful!

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    1. Around my Kitchen Table,
      Yes, best to accept and appreciate. Things could have gone worse. See my reply to Barbara.

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  21. Guiding force or coincidence, you have it both for good and evil. If you believe in the guiding force, then you have to accept that the same force also made you end up with one disastrous haircut before guiding you to the good one. Were you then being punished?

    Either way, may the force be with you.

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    1. Carolyn,
      You have a point. Maybe I had some karma due that I payed for that first time. I am just grateful that it wasn't him again at the new place with a smile and an empty chair. Then this post would have a whole nuther slant.

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  22. Coincidence...
    We all do things all our life that are spur of the moment decisions and most don't amount to anything unusual. But when they do or are significant, we tend to feel some form of "it was meant to be". It's all chance.

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    1. Mary,
      You are most likely right but it does take some of the mystery and glamour out if it is all just chance.

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  23. so glad you found her! And I totally believe in guiding forces, guardian angels, and fate.

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    1. Silver,
      Logic tells me no but my heart wants to believe like you.

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  24. I've trained myself to live in the day and not predict the future and it's amazing how that has opened my eyes in wonderment for all that comes my way.

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    1. Ginnie,
      My problem is trying to make the present have a mysterious meaning and that maybe not all my experiences are all my doing.

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  25. Or serendipity. LOL I bet you look great now.

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  26. It sure was fate- I am still looking for a decent hairdresser and have been for the past twenty years. I even cut my hair myself sometimes...which is always a disastor! Sorry I've been awol- I have developed high blood pressure and have SI joint issues that have turned chronic. It makes it very hard to sit in front of the computer very long. Sending {hugs} and hoping all is well with you.

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  27. Since I have such a poor memory, I can’t remember if I had such an experience. I hate going to beauty shops. I’m never happy with whatever haircut I get.That’s why I cut my own hair. I don’t like what I do 60% of the time, but at least I don’t have to pay for it.

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  28. Dear Patti, I get "urges" off and on both here at home and when I'm out and about. I'm not sure where/who they come from. I've always had good intuitions about my life and I've just thought the the intuition switch had turned on!

    I'm glad you met a beautician whose work you'd liked before and that she "evened up" your hair. When my hair looks good, I feel good! Peace.

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