The universe is constantly providing signs for us. Those signs may be our loved ones letting us know they are around, synchronicities to tell us we are on the right path, or even just little hello’s from our spirit guides. Sometimes, however, the universe will also provide warning signs or even detour signs. What happens when we choose to ignore those signs?
The Universe was trying to tell me something, but I didn’t want to hear it.
Recently, my family and I decided to plan an overnight getaway. My soul had been yearning to be close to a waterfall and to be totally secluded with no cell service at all.
It took me two weeks to plan a one night stay only 4 hours from my home. I should have seen the signs but I was so set on making the trip that I totally ignored them.
I used a combination of two different apps and emailed 10 hosts to book their property for the night; each time I was blocked. The property was either not conducive for young children, they were much farther away from the trails than we needed to be, or they forgot to take their listing down. I was getting to the end of my rope when I decided to cave and book the one property I had been keeping on the back burner.
I convinced myself that even though it wasn’t the nicest, it must have been meant to be since it was the only one left. It was even within walking distance to the main trail I wanted to hike. No cell phone towers within 10 miles and in total seclusion. Still, something about it just didn’t feel right.
Friday morning I took the entire day off of work and we started our journey. Oh boy, what a journey it was.
We got to town and there was nowhere to eat. We finally found a cute little place and it was closed. Starving we decided to hit up the only fast food place in town and both left feeling a bit ill.
Back on the road, we decided to make the most of our trip and we visited the Luray Caverns, embarked on a garden maze, and did some sight seeing. Everything seemed to be going in perfect order again.
On the drive to the home we rented (another hour away) I realized I had forgotten my back carrier. How the heck were we going to go on an 8-mile hike with a toddler without a carrier? I remained optimistic and decided that our arms would just get a nice workout.
The drive to the property was a treacherous but beautiful one. I’m talking one lane, winding mountain roads, with big cliffs. Beautiful but scary.
When we finally reached our destination my husband and I just looked at each other and didn’t say a word. We walked in and it was well below our expectations, to say the least. The pictures were a bit misleading.
It was a mountain house and I didn’t expect the taj mahal by any means. That being said, we still had to sleep there and it was not exactly our idea of clean.
I stood in the living room trying to convince myself that it would be okay for just one night. After all, we were going to be hiking in nature the entire next day, would it really be so bad to sleep amongst some of its occupants?
My husband had to ask me 5 times if I really wanted to stay there before I finally admitted defeat and we got back in the car. I was heart broken, all I wanted for my birthday was family time and to see a waterfall.
We decided to just rent a hotel in town but again there were none in the area. After pulling into a church parking lot to discuss our options we decided to make the call and drove alllllllll the way back home.
Before we left the deep mountainside, however, my husband pulled the car over and said “get out”.
I looked at that boy like he had two heads! He told me to get out of the car and at least go touch the creek. I got out of the car on a windy mountain road, hiked down a little hill to a babbling brook and let the water flow through my hands.
I stood there and admired the serenity and the peacefulness of the brook and just thanked the universe for that tiny moment.
I ignored all of the signs. Literally one after another, after another, I ignored them all.
The Universe is always looking out for our best and highest good. Even if that means taking a trip away that we thought that we really needed. There is a song from Garth Brooks called “unanswered prayers” and it applies here. “Some of God’s greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers”
Come to find out my husband had sprained his calf but didn’t tell me. He didn’t want me to know how bad it was because he didn’t want to ruin my birthday get away. He was willing to fight through the pain for me knowing that it would only make his ailment worse. Thoughtful of him yes but smart? No.
He had a physical for work two days later! Had he not been able to pass that physical he would have been taken off of the floor and put on probation. Since the physical consisted of running, strength exercises, and more I doubt that after an uphill 8-mile hike he would have been able to make the cut with a sprained calf.
Everything happens for a reason even if that reason isn’t evident to us right then and there. We can choose to ignore the signs but at our own risk.
Though I ignored all of their signs it was still a pretty great birthday weekend. I got to spend a TON of time with my family (in the car) and that Sunday my husband threw me a surprise birthday brunch with 10 of our closest friends…some that I hadn’t seen in months.