Unfinished: A Personal Journey of Healing, Self-Discovery and Resilience

Do you believe that certain people show up in your life just by chance, at just the right time, or is it just a lucky coincidence? ‘Coincidence’ is defined in the dictionary as: “the occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection.” (Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. – Eleventh ed.)

This past week I watched an episode on the Ellen DeGeneres show, about the skier that was rescued from the Arapahoe Basin chairlift in Colorado. The events and coincidences surrounding this rescue, is nothing short of miraculous.

Richard, the man rescued, had only met Mickey Wilson (his rescuer) that morning through mutual friends. Richard went by himself in one of the chairs while his friends followed behind. Somehow, as he went around the bull wheel at the top of the lift, his backpack became entangled in the chairlift. All he remembers is his vision becoming distorted and that he was going backwards down the mountain – never a good thing!

When Mickey saw what had happened, he took off his skis and ran down the mountain to a tower that he climbed to get to the cables. Being a professional “slack liner” (similar to a tight rope walker but instead of using a pole for balance, one only uses their arms), he shimmied thirty feet across the cables to get to Richard who was hanging by his neck, ten feet off the ground. It was then that he realized he didn’t have his knife that he usually carried so had no way of cutting the strap to release Richard.

At that precise moment, ski patrol arrived and one of the members took his knife and made a perfect toss, twenty feet in the air and Mickey somehow caught it, in spite of an injured hand. The strap was cut and as soon as Richard hit the ground, ski patrol began CPR.

Richard had been hanging, unconscious, for 4 minutes. It just so happened that he was a swimmer and practiced swimming lengths of the pool, holding his breath so his body was accustomed to this stress. Fortunately, he came through with only a broken rib and a few bruises.

Were all of these factors just coincidences? Think of times in your life that events and people coincided at just the right time. What do you contribute it to? When I went to Spain to hike the Camino, I can’t tell you the number of times that people showed up, exactly when I needed them; it was uncanny. (You can read all about my Camino experience in my memoir!)

Even as I look back over the events in my life, it reinforces over and over again to me that certain people and circumstances were paramount in affecting the outcome and resulting in where I am today. I believe that the universe is not out to get us but rather always has our best interest at heart; nothing is done to us, instead it is done for us.

One definition of ‘magic’ is this: “an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural force.” (Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary. – Eleventh ed.) Everyday, magic happens all around us, if only we would take notice.

Anticipate it, watch for it and celebrate it; after all, life indeed is magical!