Encounters of Purpose
It was the sense of immersion, of feeling lost yet transported to another place. The richness and depth
of his brown, dreamy eyes were so calming, yet exhilarating and enticing. I was being tossed in an
ocean of paradoxical feelings.
Amid the hundreds of blue suits, I left the conference early not sensing my life was about to
take a sweeping turn of events. Leaving prematurely was not something I usually do, but
deadlines for work demanded an early departure. In the Sydney rain, waiting for taxis to
return us to our hotel rooms, his taxi arrived. In they dived, that group of men from the sea
of suits, but one man hesitated. This man turned and called to me “come on, you can share
with us, you’ll be waiting for ages if you don’t”. The pull was strange and difficult to
describe yet I knew to follow it. Into the front of the taxi I leapt. It was then, with one brief
glance to the back, he sat. Handsome, still, noticing. This was not the man who had called to
me, but someone new. It was instant, and in that moment of connection, time stood still.
Sometimes life sends you a gift. One morning, weeks later after my life in Melbourne
returned to its usual routine, my gift arrived. It arrived in the form of an invitation for
coffee. He had found me. That morning I received the gift of disbelief.
The mind is a curious thing, it analyses and searches for answers, for clues, for explanations.
It then convinces us of a series of possibilities and just as we get excited, it pushes back with
limiting beliefs, dismal scenarios and a sense of the impossible. The mind does not serve us
well at times. In between those spiralling thoughts, I nervously prepared for our reunion. I
had not heard his voice, nor understood the intention of this meeting. Deep within, I knew
this was just the beginning. Of what? I could not explain.
Again it was raining and the irony of that did not escape me. I caught a glimpse of him
waiting in the café. Beneath the John Olsen art and with the background hum of
Melbourne’s trams, he again captured my very being. As I approached with anticipation, he
stood tall to shake my hand. My mind was racing as fast as my heart. I sat, we connected, we
laughed, we shared. His words flowed and as they did, those words gently rocked me. I
noticed everything. The definition of his jaw, the kindness in his face, his strong hands,
articulate sentences and the depth of his voice. He was different yet strangely familiar. It
was those dreamy brown eyes where I became lost.
Two hours passed and it felt like two minutes. I wanted more. Our departure was somewhat
awkward as we didn’t understand our meeting. Following this twist of events, our future
path and direction was set.
At this time my life was off course. My slow and painful marriage breakdown led me to
deep and dark places of the soul that no person wants to visit. Entering those places is when
people reach for alcohol, drugs and a myriad of other comforts to ease the pain. It’s where
depression and anxiety sets in and it’s a long journey out that not everyone makes. It is also
where the greatest lessons of life can be learnt. If we listen to the wisdom of these teachings,
life can change course.
What neither of us knew at that time was that we were both in the same place. Our
marriages were crumbling and we were each hanging on desperately to the remnants of
those relationships. It was like being awash at sea, white fingers tightly grasped around the
rim of the life raft with little hope for survival. Life was dark, directionless and sad but you
Stonnington short story competition 2016
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Encounters of Purpose
keep on going, pretending that everything is OK. Treading water you lose your direction
and forget that there’s a better place. This is not how we are meant to exist.
That chance meeting in the taxi was not by chance. There was a much deeper purpose and I
am learning how we are all connected. We eventually kissed, and as he held me I entered a
place that I didn’t know existed. It was a place of pure joy and happiness. I was catapulted
into a new realm, where every sensory experience is heightened. It’s a realm where you
become creative, where you help others, where you excel, and where you lift the spirits of
those around you. From this place you have a vantage point, it’s where you start to
understand your life’s purpose.
As hard as it’s been, I’m pleased I journeyed to that darkness. As it’s from this place I
discovered life’s secrets. I am forever changed, and I am stronger, wiser, calmer and kinder.
Our purpose in life is to flourish and evolve, and to help each other along this journey. This
journey is different for each of us, but it’s how the world slowly evolves to a better place.
I now know that there are no mistakes and no chance meetings. There are only lessons we
are to learn and these lessons are the stepping stones of growth. I have a new perspective
from being in that dark place and this has brought me enormous wisdom. I know that it is
possible to slowly crawl out of that dark place. This is what he did for me, the man from the
sea of blue suits and the dreamy brown eyes. He held my hand, and slowly but surely, I
knew life could once again be amazing.
Stonnington short story competition 2016
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