Divine architecture.
[No. 59]
DO YOU THINK THAT EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON? THAT THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS COINCIDENCES?
“You are everything,” said the striking stranger, as I waited for my friend Miriam outside of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. I replied with equal exuberance. [He was magnificent in a floor-length African-print coat. He looked to be floating on water. Smiles for days.] When I eventually spotted my friend, we walked inside for a glass of wine and then took our seats for Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring. Out of 3,156 seats, my gorgeous stranger was in the one directly next to me. What are the chances? “I’m Frederick.” Sam.” We chatted and made plans to see something together one day soon.
Sam & Frederick outside of an art gallery in DTLA
I have come to know and love these flow moments. Years ago, I was in New York City to film for a documentary. After finishing the prep interviews, I wandered around the West Village looking for dinner with my dear friend and collaborator, Lisa. We walked up to a restaurant and, as we examined the menu, I heard a familiar voice. I turned around to see one of my closest friends, Ronny, standing behind me! [He lives in Paris.] This has since happened to us in both Los Angeles and Austin as well. In my mind, such happenings are meant to be. A reminder of some cosmic orchestration. It makes me feel like I’m being guarded by some divine architecture.
The other side of this coin, however, can be harder to digest. How do we pull reason out of the rubble of life’s tragic happenings? As you know, I was diagnosed with cancer at age 21. My partner endured the same at 14. We witness war and hunger on the world stage. Believing in a grander plan asks us to deeply trust in an outcome beyond our pain. I now see how my hardest moments were in fact the ones that cracked me open to who I am today. While I would never wish that hurt upon another, those chapters are the ones that wrote me into this present moment. 
Perhaps it is less that things happen for a reason and more that events unfold to teach us something, to remind us of who we are and who we can be, to connect us to something bigger than ourselves. To make us feel more alive. Loss highlights what we want. Illness reminds us to live. Chaos and disharmony reflect our desire to birth new ways of interacting and organizing. Bumping into a truly dear friend randomly all around the world underlines how separation is truly an illusion. We have the opportunity to learn from it all, and at the end of the day, the lens we bring to each happening determines whether something is fated, chance, or tragedy. Each of our souls are here to live out a specific purpose in this lifetime, and every moment along the way offers us a chance to turn towards living to the fullest. So, PAY ATTENTION TO THE PEOPLE YOU MEET ALONG THE WAY. Keep your eyes and ears wide open. The whispering is the Universe inviting you into a new chapter.
P.S. Frederick and I actually did see each other again. #FINDYOURFREDERICK