There are days when we pray and we feel as if all our prayers have been directed to the clerical department in heaven where they are placed in a pile of paperwork and overlooked.
Yet, when we are least aware we realize how God watches out for us each and every moment of the day even when we tell ourselves, “I have got this handled.”
I often speak of God Winks because they remind me how cool and astute God truly is. God winks are events which occur in our lives which might appear as opportunities; although we become excited about them God foresees the dangers which may await us. He magically orchestrates events where we are distracted from making mistakes which could ruin our lives.
It could be a career opportunity, a love relationship, an invitation to a coveted event or even the people who enter our world. My most recent God wink occurred out of my yearning for a better quality of life for myself.
Embarking on a new career as a holistic practitioner in New York in my middle ages has proven to be quite challenging and not without pitfalls. Therefore, I made an executive decision that perhaps my place in the sun was not New York. As recruiters were sending me opportunities from parts unknown I seriously considered settling in Alaska.
I sifted through the many career vacancies pertaining to the Alaskan territory and I eventually came across one position which piqued my curiosity. They were looking for a holistic healthcare provider in a rural area to counsel individuals who had little or no access to healthcare.
I had grown so weary of the sultry New York summer weather that Alaska seemed like a welcome respite since their summers tended to be a lot more bearable than the Big Apple’s.
So, as I set out on my fact-finding mission to be able to converse with my interviewers I felt as if I were about to take on a monumental task. The tid-bits of negative information I encountered did not quell my desire to move to Alaska at all.
Everyone I told my plans to began spewing doom and gloom.They would remark, “Oh, but it is so snowy and cold there…” My response was, ” I will just dress in layers”.
When my fashion friends would say, “So, what’s the fashion scene like there? Are there major stores?” At first I replied “Hmmm” then I thought, ” I will just shop via catalogues”.
As I researched I realized Alaska had about 67 days of darkness during the winter months. People use blue lights so they do not experience seasonal affective disorder or depression due to this occurrence.
It gets so cold there that almost every car park or lot where cars stop, have electrical outlets specifically for recharging batteries. Now, as a person who had been plagued with many car woes one would think that would be enough to send me running and screaming for the hills, especially when I would be living there on my own.
But, I had a trooper’s attitude and I was not about to let anything undermine my decision to relocate to Alaska. One super perk which had me thoroughly excited was the fact that from Alaska you could basically enter Europe to countries like Russia.
There is only 10,000 kilometers which separate Russia from Fairbanks, Alaska. The Bering sea connects Russia, Asia and North America. Therefore, by ship Europe is easily accessed from Alaska.
Even if one were traveling by aircraft to Asia or Russia the travel times are considerably less especially if one were travelling from other states in North America. For me, that was definitely a plus.
I thought, if all the engineering projects came into fruition concerning building a super highway connecting Europe to America, I was certain I would spend most of my weekends exploring.
Anyroads, with all my enthusiasm I proved to myself reality does bite. As I prepared for my interview to ask the right questions and to receive more facts regarding the territory I was relocating to I would soon become aware that perhaps I was harboring a pipe dream.
At first it appeared as if I were sailing through my interview with flying colors then came the dreaded question, “How do you feel about getting on a small single jet plane, traveling to regions which are underdeveloped to train native dwellers regarding holistic modalities?”
I stumbled for a second because I was positive there was no hurdle I could not climb. Certainly my claustrophobia became an issue, however I quickly retorted…” Would I be able to drive there?”
The interviewer had quite a sense of humor as he responded, “I suppose if you have a vehicle like Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang it is possible?”
I was so determined even when I realized that traveling in a “may reach” plane could pose a problem. I somehow felt sure I could work around it…But the next revelation would prove to be the hang nail to allow my great plans to fall apart.
As I was told I would have to travel to a deserted village to train the natives regarding holistic methods, I was also informed I would have to stay overnight and sometimes it could take days to get transportation back to the mainland.
Let’s just say my imagination went into overdrive. I imagined myself stranded in the middle of igloos which is “Claustrophobia City” by the way, and surrounded by Eskimos speaking Inuktitut, and me frantically perusing my Fodor’s language translation manual asking, “How can I escape the lovely adventure I have placed myself in….”
It was in those two minutes, I had to say firmly….”Thanks, but no thanks.”
All my plans to bid the sweltering summers of New York adieu had fallen apart in one pivotal moment. My euphoria seemed tragically doused. Nonetheless, I felt there would be other opportunities coming down the pike, but once again, my claustrophobia had intervened and I wondered why.
A few days ago as I sat feverishly working I came across breaking news…”Earthquake causes devastation in Alaska…!”
I could not believe what I was hearing and seeing. Alaska, a city which barely made national newscasts was suddenly stricken with one of the most destructive weather conditions.
As I sat speechless, I could only think that although most of the times I believe my claustrophobia to be a buzz kill it was actually my saving grace. Many times it saved me from myself and my adventurous mindset.
As I thought about the big picture concerning my quest to relocate, I knew God was winking at me once again saying…. “You think I have forgotten about you but I am always working on your situation. I know the pitfalls and snares which are laid before you, therefore I go forward to make your way straight.”
To me, there was no other proof needed to show me that God thinks about every minute detail of his children’s lives on a daily basis.
Fighting For My Life Memoir 