If you follow me at all, and I appreciate anyone who takes a peek at my ramblings, you know that I have been house and dog sitting in Montana while my friend celebrated her 60th birthday with her son at Burning Man. 

I arrived dead tired and dirty. I landed before they left, knowing I needed some guidance on the dog and house details. I slept like the dead my first night and spent the second day helping them get packed, situated, and whatever other details were in the mix. They excitedly departed as me and Charlie began our journey of discovery. We already covered that in ONE NEUROTIC DOG. Moving on….

My week unfolded, I rested, got lazy, ate my way into oblivion, walked the legs off the dog, bicycled around, discovered breweries, made new friends. I hit a couple museums and took advantage of some great free services at REI. I got a little lazy so I forced myself to do a walking tour of town, then on another day bicycle everywhere. I did get the Jeep and my gear all cleaned and organized and that felt really good. I took several baths and fell in love with an Air Fryer. I was having fun. 

Then I got word that they were coming home early. My girlfriend fell down some stairs and hurt herself. Not sure if she broke anything, but she could not walk on her right foot and was advised to come home and get an X-ray. Whoa. Did not see that coming! Sorry to report that she did break her ankle. Oh, and the son picked up some sort of stomach thing and was pretty sick for a few days. It was one rough homecoming.

However, here I was, nothing else to do, at the ready, nowhere to go. I had my Yellowstone reservation assuming they would be back on time, not early. Labor Day was thrown in there, just to keep it interesting. They came back dirty, tired, each of them hurting in their own way. Slap that “S” on my chest, Michelle is at the ready!! We unpacked, cleaned, washed, disassembled that which they had previously assembled. I was able to take the lead and help in any and all ways possible. I was ready. Meals, continued dog duty, laundry, washing and cleaning and unpacking.  Ta Da! Here I go. 

But, they were home early. Now what? I did not want to over stay my welcome, but they did need help. I split the time difference and moved my Yellowstone reservation up one day while staying one extra day at their place. The gentleman on the phone making this change told me how lucky I was to be able to add a day. Not luck, dear Sir, not luck at all. 

Gee, thanks Michelle for that great overview. BUT, what does that have to do with the stars in alignment? On several points, this worked out beautifully. Let me say this, above all else, I am NOT HAPPY this happened to my girlfriend. We confirmed there is one broken bone and she has some good bruising coming in. She is lined up for a CT Scan to be sure the break is clean and can heal on it’s own. I wish that had not happened to her at all. Not at all!

What falls into place beautifully is all of the following:

• After my summer festival tour, I needed a rest, access to modern convinces and lots of water. I got all of that and more. 
• One of my oldest and dearest friends needed a house and dog sitter. It fit into my work schedule, my travel plans, and my roughly chosen route. It just fit. 
• She had seen and visited all the places she wanted to during her Burning Man excursion. Leaving early did not damper her experience. 
• She was with her son and others who could help pack and get her home safely.
• I was here to continue with dog and house duty.
• I was getting bored and gladly jumped in to help.
• I had no agenda or plans that would cause me to leave before I was scheduled. 
• I think like her, organize myself like her, and I have basically the same priorities as her, which helped as I stepped in with little or no disruption to how she “would do” it. A true comfort as she worked to ambulate around her house on one leg. 
• On one day of cleaning, they napped while I kept a beer-date. I got in a bike ride, sampled great beers, and had a nice chat with a new friend. 
• I had one more thing to come in the mail and the extra time allowed that to happen. 
• A doctor she knew had a morning cancellation and she was seen on the first available business day AFTER a holiday weekend. 
• The care of her broken ankle was correct and confirmed by the doctor. That may sound lame, but this important piece of information means that she has caused no additional harm in the care of the not-yet-fully-understood injury. 
• I was able to add one day at the beginning of my reservation so that I could arrive earlier and not move camp. I detest the idea of camping for only one night.  

IF she had to break her ankle, and IF her son had to get a stomach bug AFTER their Burning Man adventure, NOW was the best time for this to happen. They are feeling less stressed and more relaxed as the mountain of post-Burning Man tasks dwindles.

I am glad that I was here. I am glad they still had a great experience. I am glad nothing happened to Charlie. I am glad nothing bad happened to me. I am glad to have been here to explore Bozeman. WTF, I am just glad!

What remains to be seen is if the added day to my Yellowstone visit means anything. I will not stress or obsess about it. I will let the Universe guide me, as it so expertly does when I let go, stop forcing, stop scheduling, stop trying to make it happen. When I stop to listen and let the stars align, all will go as it is supposed to. It just does. 

The process of letting go is the best way for the path to open up, for the best things to happen, and for the treasured moments of our lives to magically appear. Those experiences we could not have planned or scheduled or make happen. 

Cheers to happenstance, serendipity and the loving guidance of the Universe!