I like synchronicity. It kinda rolls off your tongue. But I struggle with it sometimes, when something goes wrong, and I feel down or worried. I try to talk to myself and say that something will come along. Often it does.

Like, a few years ago, I moved to Victoria but was still working in Vancouver, teaching both places, had a job in Vancouver & bunked at my mom's, had family & boyfriend in Victoria & shared a place with my big sister. I spent 4 years going back and forth, working Tue-Wed-Thu in Vancouver. Had the schedule all worked out and even survived a couple of transit bus strikes with the help of my friends. I actually enjoyed the travelling most of the time. But after 4 years I began to realize that I didn't really have a life in either city.

I'd lived in Vancouver most of my adult life, knew a lot of musicians, played out a fair bit, was teaching at a couple of community centers & a private studio in a church. I worried that a move to the smaller city would mean fewer students, fewer gigs, I wouldn't know any musicians, but I liked the smaller city - it was greener & quieter & had more appeal, but I was teaching in my younger sister's basement. I couldn't make up my mind what to do.

Finally, one day I was on the ferry, heading to Vancouver, and I sat down with some paper and made a list of Pros and Cons for each place. What would happen if I stayed here, if I went there, major worries, etc. Through that process I came to the conclusion that there was one thing I wanted more than anything else. And that was to have my own space where I could live and teach.

I was tired of teaching in all these places that belonged to someone else, where I had no control over scheduling or privacy etc. I decided the first city that would give me that space would be where I would hang my hat. An hour later, I was in my office, checking my email. My younger sister emailed to say her friend, who rented a flat in a house by the harbor, was leaving on a sailing trip and did I want to take it over. I went to look at it. It's the top half of a house, underneath that side is the furnace room (meaning the sound of lessons wouldn't disturb the neighbours. We agreed I'd move in and share it with her for 4 months before she left, to make sure that I would get enough students to pay the rent. The rest is history. I'm still here.

Another instance of synchronicity in my life happened in December 2006. I'd been desperately wanting a decent audio computer for at least a year. I bought myself an orchestra program for Christmas '06 but didn't have the money to buy a new computer to run it, and it really wasn't going to be worth it to upgrade my old computer - it would cost nearly the same and the components were already several years old.. I'd been to two music conferences (Nov '05, Nov '06) which left me with the certain knowledge that without a good audio computer of my own I would not be able to produce music effectively.

Then my baby sister called. She had hooked up with some folks through her Virtual Assistant business who needed some textbooks designed. I worked like a dog, up to and even including Christmas Day, which very much irritated me at the time. But in January, I got a big cheque and it was exactly the amount I needed to go down to my local supplier and get them to build that custom audio computer. Exactly the amount.

These are just some of the wonderful & weird alignments that have occurred as I walk my path. Sometimes it's tough when I feel I've been wronged or when things have gone awry, to trust that something will come along and correct the imbalance. I try to remember my synchronistic happenings in those moments of doubt.

© 2008 VL Flawith. All rights reserved