Serendipitous or Coincidence or God?


If you read this blog regularly, you know I am a walker. Almost every day that I can, I will walk anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. I consider it the most important part of my depression management strategy as well as the most enjoyable part.

 We live out in the country and so I don't see many people on my walks but I do see the occasional wildlife. When I started seeing bears, I switched my walks to the town closest to us. That turned out to be the best thing ever.

Now I see people every day on my walks which is good for me since I tend to isolate myself due to depression . The conversations are usually short which is sometimes all I can manage. But the meetings are pleasant nonetheless and I am so glad that I switched to town walking instead of my lonely country road.

 I guess then that I am glad that a few years ago I spotted bears, which, even though that was scary, it led me to my pleasant town walks.

So was the bear spotting serendipitous, or coincidence or was it God?Unknown Object

As I took my daily walk this morning I enjoyed a conversation with a new lady in town who has created a garden in the front of her house where none existed before. I have enjoyed watching that process and today she was outside working so we chatted. I commented on how well her garden was coming along and she was only too glad to tell me about several of the plants.

 One plant in particular she found at the side of the road when she had a car accident. That's right. She was on a back road when a car came at her and when she swerved to avoid it her car slid into the ditch. While she was waiting for the tow truck to come, she spotted this lovely flower. The next day she went back with her shovel and a bucket and now that lovely flower lives in her garden.

Was that flower serendipitous or coincidence or God?

I suppose we all have our own opinions about such things. I believe it was God? How about you?

 But thinking about that lady finding a flower in the midst of an unexpected and unpleasant car crash made me think of how some people just have the ability to see good things no matter how bad life gets.

 Sometimes, with depression, we can lose that ability altogether.
That gave me the idea of challenging anyone who reads this blog, myself as well, to think about the things that we feel depression has stolen from us. That might be a job, a relationship, an old hobby which once brought pleasure, and many other activities that you once enjoyed but now you have no interest in.

 As I continued my walk I thought about my own journey with depression. Yes, there are losses on my list. But one in particular came to mind. I used to love gardening and now I have no interest in it at all. That made me sad and I decided right then that this was simply too depressing to write about.

And then I saw it, a rose on the sidewalk!

That's right. A beautiful rose, looked like it might have come from the florist, right there in front of me on the sidewalk. What a treat! I picked it up and enjoyed it. And then I realized that yes, I don't enjoy gardening anymore, but I still enjoy flowers!

ALL IS NOT LOST!

Was that rose on the sidewalk serendipitous, or coincidence or was it God?

 The point I am trying to make with all of this rambling is that all is not lost. Oh I know those depression voices will tell you that all is lost, but they are wrong!

 I remember one sad day many years ago, shortly after my husband of 24 years walked out on our marriage. I was lying in my bed, feeling sorry for myself and feeling that I had lost EVERYTHING that ever mattered to me. Just then my two teenage daughters joined me on the bed (that is where we held all of our family meetings) and I looked at them and realized that ALL was NOT lost. I still had two amazing daughters. For those two daughters to come in right at that moment of despair, was that serendipitous or coincidence or God?

 So my depression getaway challenge for you today is this:
Make a list not of what depression has stolen from you, but of what you still have. Your list may have big things on it like family, home or health, or it may just have little incidental things on it like your favourite jeans, or your cat. You can do this! Make a list right now. 

 WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? Do you believe in serendipity or coincidence or God? Do you experience unexplained encouraging moments in the midst of depression? Would you like to? Do you have hope?

 Don't give up! There is hope for depression.

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