Wherever You Go, There You Are…

Remember seeing those corny t-shirts and bumper stickers – “Wherever I Go, There I Am!” in the eighties?  Whenever I saw them, or heard someone repeat the statement, I naturally gave the polite chuckle that was expected, but never considered it as any sort of deep wisdom.

I still don’t.  It’s still corny.  But, as life marches on, and I pay more attention to each moment, it’s pretty clear that there is a bit of wisdom in that bumper sticker.  Maybe it’s a reminder to just be present in the seemingly meaningless moments, but also to trust that you are where you’re supposed to be in each moment.  That’s not easy for a multi-tasker like myself and, judging by the rages exhibited in traffic, I’d say it’s not easy for most people.

I’m sure we’ve all experienced a bit of the revelation, after being frustrated at running late or taking a wrong turn, that the timing or the turn was actually fortuitous.  We arrive at our destination only to learn that if we’d left on time, we’d have surely been a part of that ten-car pileup or that if we’d not taken the wrong turn, we’d have hit a roadblock or, possibly, missed out on something beautiful we were meant to see.

My grandmother Josephine used to tell me about walking by a pond on her way to school, and how she loved to look at the lily pads that covered the pond.  The day she died, I was driving from my sister’s house, with my one year old daughter Josephine in the back seat, hoping to make it to see her one last time.  Being unfamiliar with the roads, I took a wrong turn.  While I was trying to figure out where I was and how to find my way back, I saw the sun shining down on a glorious lily pond, just filled with lily pads in full bloom.  It was simply breathtaking and I pulled my car to the side of the road to take a photo, thinking I could show my grandmother when I got to her bedside.

When I got back in the car, only then did I see the road sign that let me know where I was.  I was on the road named after my grandmother’s family.  This was HER road and, therefore, this was HER lily pond!  When I arrived at my grandparents’ house, my grandmother had just taken her last breath minutes before – likely as I was marveling at her lily pads.  It was in that moment that I knew I was never lost.  I was right where I was supposed to be at exactly that moment.

I’ve had a lifetime of these situations.  I think we all have.  We just don’t always take the time to process them.  Wherever I Go, There I Am.

Today, on my way home from work, I stopped at a grocery store that is not part of my routine.  As I pulled in to the parking lot, I didn’t even know why I was there.  I’d just been to the store the other day and couldn’t think of anything I needed.  But the people who live in my head told me to shut up and go inside.  So I did.  Still not sure why I was there, I picked up some ingredients for dinner and made my way to the checkout.

There was an older woman ahead of me as I placed my items on the belt.  In the seconds between finishing that transaction and my placing the items on the belt, the cashier must have turned her light off.  When she looked up and saw me, she was clearly annoyed.  I apologized for jumping in and offered to move to another lane.  She was gracious enough to say that wasn’t necessary and began ringing my order.

When it was time to pay, I looked down to grab my wallet from my purse, and saw a large pile of money at my feet.  There, hidden from view by the cashier and the bagboy, were ten and twenty dollar bills, lying in a sad pile by my shoes.  The older woman was still there, waiting for the bagboy to hand her the last of her groceries, so I called out to her “Ma’am!” but she didn’t hear me.  So I reached out and tapped her on the shoulder.  I startled her, I think, but when I pointed to the pile of money, her face registered absolute shock.

I picked up the money – easily two to three hundred dollars – and handed it to her and saw that she was beginning to cry.  She grabbed me for a hug and said that her son had just given her that money to buy her medicine.

So – did I need to go to the grocery store?  Did I need to buy the chicken and vegetables in my basket?  Did I need to slow that cashier down on her way to her break?  I guess I did.  Had I not been there at that time, in that lane, annoying that cashier, that woman would never have known her money was missing.  Someone surely would have seen it eventually, but not the person who needed it most.

Maybe those bumper sticker people had it right all along.  Maybe it’s not just a corny joke.  Maybe it’s a reminder to BE wherever you are.  It’s definitely a reminder to me to stop trying to argue with The People Who Live In My Head because they, more than anyone else, know that Wherever I Go, There I Am.