When I least expect it, miracles happen. Sometimes they arrive in a strange way, coming from something that happens outside of me. For instance, back when I was around ten years old, I took a riding lesson at a small farm (with a lady named Mrs. Griffin), and I needed to buy a helmet. So Mom drove me out to a larger farm, a place called Red Fox Stables, to purchase the hat. Well, I ended up riding at Red Fox for the next eight years, and I spent every day there and later, I worked there as a professional. Truly, I found a home in the people, the animals, and the land. I will never forget this influence on my life. All because of that helmet. And later, I named my first book GRIFFIN FARM after that first place I rode.
But sometimes, miracles and inspirations come directly from the inside. Think about hunches, small clues, dreams, and the imagination. Back when I was looking at colleges, I had a strong vision. I saw myself in the mountains, down South. I didn't know much about any of any schools down there, but I somehow knew that I'd end up in Virginia, close to the mountains. And indeed, I ended up at Hollins University, nestled in the Roanoke Valley, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains.
And then there's more. Miracles can come out of nowhere. Perhaps I am simply in the right place at the right time. Lovers can appear this way. Sometimes, new jobs and opportunities I never imagined seem to appear out of dust. For example, in 2005, I won the Mercantile Library Fiction Contest. That led to a trip to Santa Barbara, where I happened upon a skate park. Then there was a feature in CityBeat, which led to working at CityBeat for eight years, which led to meeting a whole slew of bands, artists, and the like. This string of miracles went on and on. And that experience at the skate park was one source of info for my second book, THE HOUSE OF ANCHOR. There were many, many sources of info, but this was a springboard.
Without even trying, children understand this notion of miracles. Watch them. See how amazed one girl is by the sight of a caterpillar. See how one boy believes his Batman t-shirt actually makes him Batman. Why not hang on to this childish expectation of wonder? Speaking of which, everyone has a passionate opinion of the greatest Batman. I plead the fifth, but I do have a favorite. And mine is right, ha.
So this morning, expect a miracle, inside and out. Why not. Yesterday, I wrote this in my journal: Why not me? Thinking negatively has never helped me in the past, so why not assume that today, I will be in the right place at the right time. Why not look forward to divine intervention. Why not assume that something greater than me is pulling for me...and for you...and that a welcome surprise could fall out of the air.
Why not you? Why not me?
C.A. MacConnell
