Have you ever thought something so random that it occurred to you an angel might be whispering in your ear? Ever felt the hair stand up on the back of your neck and thought something special (or frightening!) was about to happen? Did you wonder what it meant and try to listen or did you just brush it away?

As for me, I’ve been trying to figure out how to listen better. Whether it’s angels or whatever, I know we’re given clues about the right path to take. When I’ve ignored those clues, I’ve always regretted it. But whenever I listen to them, better yet, acted on them, it’s always worked out for the best. Sometimes it’s worked out astonishingly well! And since this column is about the daily journey of choosing to stay happy, I think this is an area worth investigating.

Case in point. This is a story about how a small incident reminded me to pay attention to those clues.

The last time we moved it was into a house with lots more room so I was able to get many things out of storage and in the process discovered treasures I hadn’t seen in years. For once I had the luxury of a little time in the move and I could sort through all the boxes to see which of my prized possessions would be a part of my life again, what would be thrown or given away and what would go back into a box for another time.

When that job was done I realized I was missing one cherished piece: a tiny 2″ tall pewter figurine of a wizard holding a small crystal in his left hand and a staff in his right. He had never been in storage. In fact, for more than 25 years he had been on our mantle wherever we lived. He had been a gift and was symbolic of many things – I love that little wizard. But after sorting through every single box, I had no idea where he was.

One morning about two months after the move, I was reading an excerpt from an inspirational book to get my mind focused on the day’s tasks. It was an early one by Wayne Dyer. At the end he was talking about how important “a spirit of generosity” is in finding your own spiritual path to manifesting your dreams in life. It suddenly (randomly!) occurred to me I needed to write down the address of a woman I had recently been put in touch with. It’s a long story, but I had ended up with thousands of letters of support for American troops stationed overseas and this woman had the contacts to get those letters into the hands of soldiers on the front line.

I didn’t think a thing about it at the time, it was just an impulse to find her email before it got buried in my mass of contacts. I found it and as I was printing out her address I thought I should go ahead and weigh the letters to see how much it was going to cost to ship them.

I don’t know how these heavy boxes ended up on a tall shelf in my office, maybe one of the guys did it when we moved because I could hardly lift them! I sure didn’t want to haul them onto my work table to weigh them. I just wanted to do the easiest thing, so I placed the scale on the closet floor and dragged a couple of big boxes down and plopped them on the scale. I leaned down to see how much they weighed, but the problem was that the boxes were so large they covered the meter. There I was, on my hands and knees, my rear end stuck up in the air and my face plastered sideways on the floor like one of my dogs looking for a bone under the sofa. All I was trying to do was get under the boxes to make out what the weight was, when what did I see on the floor in the corner behind the closet door? My beloved Wizard!

He was in such an odd, hidden spot, I don’t think I would have ever have seen him if I hadn’t done this specific action, looking ridiculous with my bottom up and head on the floor turned sideways – the action that some sort of instinct had led me to do.

I happily greeted him back into the fold, then went back to my reading and picked up a more recent book by Dyer. Early in Chapter 1 he quotes Carlos Castaneda, “Intent is a force that exists in the universe. When sorcerers (those who live of the Source) beckon intent, it comes to them and sets up the path for attainment, which means that sorcerers almost always accomplish what they set out to do.”

I was struck by how profound this statement was, but also I was taken aback by the reference to the sorcerer when I had just found my Wizard. This was no coincidence. It was one of those often unrecognized miracles that are happening all the time and if I hadn’t slowed down and listened that day, I would have missed it. People have lots of phrases for it, but for me it’s that still, small voice that is part of each of our souls. I have to be quiet to be able to hear it.

Now what does this have to do with choosing to stay happy? Everything

When my life is hectic or boring or a little crazy, that quiet spot inside is where I can go. It’s where joy lives regardless of the outside circumstances. In choosing to stay happy, I’d better know where that “place” is inside and keep the door open. But, that’s just me.

Until next time.