Divine Timing

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Anytime I hear the phrase "divine timing", I feel like punching someone in the face. It has become a triggering phrase to hear.

"It will happen in divine timing," they say.

And I think, "When the fuck is that going to be, bitch, because I have been at this shit for nearly 15 years?!!"

And yet, recently, I have had experiences that left me thinking, "That was divine timing."

Experience #1:

I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. I wound up with more than I initially planned and I let the clerk know that I would prefer to bag my own groceries because I was on foot and needed to make sure it was balanced. It was at that point I blurted that my husband had recently let me know he has a girlfriend and had moved in with her and I no longer had access to his vehicle which is why I was on foot with all of my groceries. The clerk stepped away for a minute. While she was gone, a gentleman offered me a ride home. That particular day, the heat was in triple digits, so I readily accepted the offer of this stranger. When the clerk came back, she was upset because she had wanted to take a break so she could give me a ride home, but management wouldn't let her. She had tears in her eyes and expressed how much she hated her employers because of the way they treat their employees. I thanked her for wanting to help and let her know about the offer from the gentleman who stood in line behind me.

One could say that this was divine timing. K.O. was in the right place at the right time to provide someone in need something he could easily provide. All I had to do was say "yes".

Experience #2:

I bought three tickets to see Dogstar in Forest Grove, one for me, one for my daughter, Inara, and one for my friend Sky. I had been trying to arrange things with him for a while but it was difficult to get him to commit to a time. I offered to buy him dinner at a vegan restaurant of his choice before, but he didn't seem interested in getting a meal. 

I wanted to be at the venue early because I did want to get a meal at the restaurant before the show. I had asked Sky for a ride, but after he tried to connect with Keanu in Jacksonville at the show down there, he let me know that he was given three tickets for the show we had planned to go to together and he planned to take his two sons and the fiance of one of his sons.  I was a bit taken back by this new development, but thought I could adjust.

Inara had gone to comic con over the weekend and I considered she would be arriving at the venue after me, but as the day wore on, it seemed I might as well catch a ride with my ex because I wasn't sure how long Sky was going to be, so I let Sky know I would meet him there.

Inara and I ended up having a nice meal in the restaurant. I didn't care about seeing the opening band. When Sky texted that he was there, he said they were going to sit in his car for awhile and that only one of his sons joined him. He let me know he wouldn't need the ticket I bought for him. I tried to give my extra ticket to our waitress but she said her husband was going to be there soon to pick her up. We took Inara's leftover pizza with us but we weren't sure if they would let us take it in when we went to see the band. 

We asked the woman checking our bags if we were allowed to take the pizza in with us and she said no. I said I guess we would just have to throw it away which is when the woman checking our bags said she would be happy to eat it. We handed it over to her and I was happy someone would be able to enjoy it rather than it be wasted.

As we got our tickets scanned, I heard a woman on the phone with someone freaking out that her ticket wasn't scanning and being accepted. She was yelling that she had paid them for the ticket and that her disabled cousin was inside without her now. I told the guy scanning tickets that I had an extra premium ticket that she could use. I let her know she could have it. The guy scanned my ticket and we all went in. The woman said to me, "I don't even know you, but thank you so much for that." I told her that it was no problem because the ticket would have gone to waste otherwise. I was happy it was being used by someone.

One could say that I was at just the right place at the right time to make two people's lives just a little better in those moments. 

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Conclusion:

Once Sky realized he wasn't given after show passes and wouldn't be able to get any, he ended up leaving early. I never actually saw Sky at all. I felt hurt because he seemed uninterested in actually seeing me. It's been close to 10 years since we have seen each other. I felt upset that he seemed to care more about hanging out with a celebrity than reconnecting with me.

When I reflected on the evening, even though it didn't turn out as I had hoped, the highlights of the evening were dinner with my daughter and feeling a cool breeze coming in the window as we chatted and ate, and being able to make two people's lives happier in little ways. The show itself was forgettable, but I felt like the real reason I was there was to gain a lesson in divine timing.

"Divine timing" is only divine when we step up and step in to give/help when and where we can. In order for divine timing to work, it also requires us to be willing to receive. 

We are presented with opportunities to step in and make a choice in the moment. If I were to ignore the call and not give my extra ticket or give the leftover pizza, divine timing falls apart. If I'm too proud or scared to accept a ride from a stranger, divine timing fails. 

Divine timing relies on us to make choices that is for the highest good.