That
morning started like any other, my regular breakfast, my usual route, the same
turn toward the highway I’ve taken countless times before. But instead of
slipping easily into traffic, I found myself stuck. Cars weren’t moving.
Minutes passed. Ten, fifteen, twenty, and I was still circling within my own
neighborhood. On a normal day, twenty minutes would already have carried me to
my office.
The
urgency of life didn’t stop for traffic, of course. My bladder reminded me I
needed a washroom, my mind reminded me all the things I got to get done today,
but strangely, I didn’t feel frustration. Instead, I remembered something I’d
read long ago, something that has stayed with me ever since, “Everything is
happening for you, not to you”.
After
September 11, 2001, a short piece was published in the news. It listed the
countless small, ordinary delays that saved people’s lives that day. The CEO
who survived because he had to drop his child at preschool, the woman whose
alarm didn’t go off, the man stuck in traffic, the one who spilled coffee and
had to change, and the man whose new shoes gave him blisters, forcing him to
stop at pharmacy for a bandage, and in turn, sparing his life.
Those
words echo in me whenever life puts me on pause. What if the delay is
protection? What if the inconvenient is divine timing? Eventually, I made it on
the highway and decided to pull into a petrol station for a quick toilet break.
When I walked out of the washroom, something caught my eye on the floor. At
first, I thought it was just rubbish someone had tossed aside, but when I picked
it up, it was a crumpled RM 10 note. I smiled. It felt small, yet significant,
like the universe whispering to me, “See, even in delays, I have something
for you”.
And
that’s the thing, sometimes the universe speaks in quiet ways, through little
detours and unexpected gifts. These moments remind me that energy is always
moving around us, guiding us, surprising us. Not everything needs to be big or
loud to be meaningful, even a crumpled note on the floor can feel like love
from the universe. A reminder that I’m seen, I’m guided and I’m exactly
where I’m meant to be.