It's not often when you get another chance twice in the same day

Last night I called my best friend to catch up and find out when we would be having our next outdoor adventure. Instead I found out that his wife's mother had died suddenly and that he was spending the week in Colorado. The conversation was awkward for me, not finding the words he needed to hear and not having the ability to express my empathy. After the call, a flood of thoughts came to my mind on what I could have or should have or would have said if I had been more prepared for the news.

This morning I approached a co-worker and complimented him on his cool hat. It was a white baseball cap with a big red J. I thought it stood for J-Rod, which is his nickname. Instead he told me it stood for his brother Josh, who had passed away a just a few days ago. I had the chance to talk to him about his brother in a way that I wish I could have talked with my best friend about his wife's mother. I went away touched by the experience, hearing him talk about his brother, satisified that I had been able to say to him the things I wanted to say to my best friend.

Later on, I went to the office kitchen hoping to find some much needed coffee. Instead I found a watered down immitation being poured by a person unknown to me. This guy was obviously new in the office but I was able to strike up a conversation with him while waiting for my boss to make some real coffee. I learned some interesting things about his life as he told me about his background, hobbies, and family. I looked for a chance to tell him my name and ask him for his but never found it and walked away wondering why I was too clueless to make such a courteous gesture.

This evening while walking my dog down the street, I ran into another dog. He didn't look familiar. Another guy passed by on his bike and asked me if I knew where the dog belonged. I told him no after which he reminded me that we'd better find out because it's not right for a dog to be wandering the neighborhood like that. So we shewed the dog in a direction he seemed comfortable going and he ended up running into the yard of my neighbor 4 houses down. A friendly man greeted the dog and started to tell us that his dog liked to chew through his harness. I laughed and told him about how my dog can slip out of hers. His kids walked over and pet my dog and I found out their dog's name and shared with them my dog's name. Before parting, I introduced myself to the man, whom I didn't know, even though he is my neighbor, only 4 houses down. He told me his name and the names of his children and asked me where I lived. We both thought it was funny that he had lived there 2 years and I had lived here 4 years and we didn't know eachother until today.

It's not often when you get another chance twice in the same day...

Tarot - The Magician

The Magician has found the table of life. On the table are the 4 symbolic tools. The cup, the wand, the pentacle, and the sword. Beautiful red roses and white lilies surround him. These represent his love and purpose. He wears a flaring red cloak which represents his individuality and protects him in mastering the elements that rule he and others.

Keyword is INDIVIDUALITY. Know that everything is possible with the power of God.

REVERSE: Abuse of power. The ability to manipulate for selfish needs.

Faith in self is just as important as a faith in God. Through our individual efforts, mastering each of the 4 elements, we can achieve great good. But be careful not to forget God or leave out your love for your fellow man by using your power to manipulate others or the situation for your own selfish gain. In my life I have encountered many magicians who have mastered their trades. Some use their power in the service to others and continue to be rewarded well. Others manipulate and use their trade as a means to control others (gaining more power) or go too far breaking out trust. Manipulating others does not help us to facilitate or develop long term relationships. Ofcourse, the saying, "there is a sucker born everyday", is very true. And if we choose, we can use the power of manipulation to profit from them. Long term relationships, while often more difficult and less profitable during the short term, help us to foster trust and find opportunities to serve others.

Early in my career, it was important for me to seek after knowledge for knowledge sake. However, often times I found it hard to find opportunities to use it. Two experiences changed my thoughts regarding this type of focus. One co-worker once stated that she didn't really care how many skills a person had. The skills were not much good if they sat in their office, rarely or never using them. Another co-worker taught me a great lesson in life as I witnessed him continually seek to use his skills to help those that were in desperate need of them. Not only did he collect trusting relationships with those in need, but he also developed the skills in a much more meaningful way, all the while improving his reputation along the way. In the end, he was rewarded even though his focus was merely use his mastered skills in the service to others. Its like magic.