Charmed

In an email exchange, a friend said to me, "You live a charmed life."  And she is right!  Sure, part of the charm comes from my perspective, my outlook, my optimism.  

I passed this window on a walk through neighborhood close by.  It means "optimists".

But part of it really is just that good things happen to me.  Good things happen to me all the time.  Maybe it's coincidence, maybe it's luck, maybe the stars frequently align in my favor, maybe someone somewhere is looking out for me, maybe the energy of the Earth just decided I deserve a good life... I don't know.  

But somehow, I ended up randomly catching the eye of a tall guy in a bar on a cold, snowy night in Ithaca, NY.  And almost exactly 3 years later, he has filled my life with friendship and adventure and wisdom and love as we share our days in Berlin, Germany where we have an incredible flat in a fabulous neighborhood.  Every day, we wake up and make more memories together.  We have our separate projects too, and we each have been building ourselves as individuals while appreciating each other's strengths and growth.  

Two years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night because Fritz was talking in his sleep.  He mumbled a few really random sentences about debt and international trade, but then he said, "All things will come together."  I can't begin to image what he was dreaming about, but I will say that every day, little by little, all things have come together.  Somehow things have just always worked out in a most beautiful way. 

I don't say all this to be boastful.  I say it because I hope with all my heart, I will always have the ability to reflect on my life and be this incredibly grateful for all the "charms" that always seem to fall at my feet.  My friend Irma has a chalkboard in her bathroom.  On it, she has written, "Grateful = Happy."  I hope I always remember that and make the most of all the good fortune that comes my way.