Looking back at my adolescent years, I can say with certainty that I was never a manipulative person. For the first two and a half decades of my life, I was both good-natured and remarkably naïve. These traits, while admirable, often made me susceptible to being manipulated rather than the other way around. I never sought to take advantage of others, yet many attempted to exploit my trusting nature, especially women who crossed my path.
Through it all, one constant has been the guidance of what I believe to be attentive spiritual forces. From the very beginning, I’ve felt a protective presence, especially during moments of imminent danger. There were times when I was entirely unaware of the threats I faced, yet somehow, I was spared from harm. One vivid example is a head-on collision on a Dallas expressway. I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, and by all accounts, I should have been thrown through the windshield. The crash obliterated the engine of my Pontiac Trans Am, yet I emerged relatively unscathed.
Another near-death experience occurred in my tiny one-bedroom apartment in Oakland, California. After a night of partying and drinking, I fell asleep while cooking chicken in the oven. The fire department had to pound on my door to wake me, nearly resorting to a battering ram. By the time I stumbled to the door, black smoke had filled the apartment, a silent threat that could have easily taken me and my toy poodle, Tiff. Quiet and shy, she didn’t bark to warn me. A firefighter stormed in, threw the burnt chicken outside, and left with an air of frustration. It was a close call, yet somehow, I survived.
Looking back, I understand these moments as reminders that my time here wasn’t up. My life’s journey still had chapters to unfold—my children had not yet been born, and I hadn’t met the woman who would become my wife, and later my ex-wife. My “Sacred Contracts,” as Carolyn Myss describes in her book, had not been fulfilled. These are agreements made in the spiritual realm before incarnation, charting our paths and purposes.
Throughout my life, I have always strived to treat others with fairness and honesty. This approach has created positive karma, which I believe manifests as serendipitous moments in the future. Some people call these blessings, gifts from a higher power, but I see them as universal grace available to everyone. There is no favoritism, no exclusive “chosen people.” The grace of Source Energy flows to all who are open to it.
As I grew older, I came to understand the truth in the saying, “You reap what you sow.” This principle of cause and effect operates in every facet of life. Our actions, however small, ripple out and return to us in kind. Every decision creates an effect, a chain reaction that shapes our future. It’s a simple yet profound dynamic, the relationship between what we do and what comes back to us.
In hindsight, those near-misses were not mere accidents but part of a greater design. They were wake-up calls, urging me to stay on course and fulfill my purpose. Life has a way of teaching us lessons, often through experiences that seem chaotic or random. Yet, when viewed through the lens of time and reflection, they reveal their meaning.
I’ve come to appreciate the interplay between karma, grace, and our choices. None of us are perfect, and mistakes are inevitable, but it’s in how we learn and grow that our paths become clear. The idea that everything is connected, that nothing happens in isolation, has been a guiding truth in my life. It reinforces my belief that we are all here for a reason, bound by unseen agreements and lessons to be learned.
At the heart of it all is an understanding that life is a balance of effort and surrender. We must sow good seeds, treat others kindly, and act with integrity, but we must also trust the unseen forces guiding us. That balance has carried me through, turning moments of vulnerability into opportunities for growth and grace.
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