In my final few days of work, pre-surgery, my co-worker, and I were chatting, and we drew angel cards from a basket. She drew 'Patience', and I drew 'Journey.'
That same night I was driving somewhere and got lost off of a main road that I'd driven down 100 times. When I did find myself I was in the Goodwill parking lot. So, of course I went in to see what kind of deals I might find.
It was crowded in the Goodwill, and a lady tapped me on the shoulder.
"Excuse me," she said, "do you know if the big dressing room is open?"
"No, it's not," I said, "but the smaller one is."
"Oh," she said, "unfortunately I can only use the bigger one because of my back problems and my spinal surgery."
"Oh, man, " I said, "I'm sorry about your back."
"I'm not sorry," she said, "It's actually a blessing. If this hadn't happened to me I would have never found my true calling as an artist. I started making jewelry while I was laid up in bed after surgery because it was one of the few things I could do. It turns out that this is what I was meant to do all along."
She shared a sample of some beautiful jewelry she had made and her business card. I shared with her that I was about to undergo ankle surgery and hoped to get back into art. We exchanged hugs, and then I left the Goodwill without buying anything, knowing I had gotten exactly what I needed.
