Serendipidous delights, blessings from the Random Forces

I am not sure how or why but some pretty magical things happen in Ubud, Bali. For starters, the other day I came across a message on my Facebook wall that two of my favorite people, Liana and Josh Murillo had decided to come to Bali to celebrate their Honey Moon. Not just Bali. They had come to Ubud. I was, at the time, at a wifi café in down town Ubud and this news nearly made me fall over with delight and utter shock. Of all the places in the world for them to choose for their honey moon they chose the exact town in which I currently reside. A quick check on google maps showed me that the hotel in which they were staying was maybe 400 meters away from where I sat in that café. This time I really did fall over. I nearly scrambled out of the café and went tearing down the street to find them just around the corner.

But I didn’t. I calmed myself and decided to try to call first rather than crash down their door unexpected, on their honey moon no less. But several calls to their hotel came to no avail to get a hold of them or figure out exactly in which of the three locations of the hotel chain they were staying. So finally, after wrapping up our internet binge, I told my travel companion Brice that it was now or never. If I did not go searching for them that night I most likely would never run into them, and I couldn’t let that happen, not after such a ridiculous stream of coincidences. So we walked down the street about five minutes until we came to the first of the three locations of their hotel. The moment I stepped foot on the grounds my heart started to race. They were here. I just knew it. But a short conversation with the reception desk informed us that no one from the US had checked in that day. Strange.

So we begin to walk slowly out of the resort, gathering our resolve to find them at the next location, just a bit farther down the street. I had one foot on the steps leading out of the resort when I heard “Erin? . . .”

“NO WAY!” I shouted. I just couldn’t believe it. “Say it again!!” I pleaded.

To which I heard, “Erin?!”

I went tearing towards the voice and plowed straight into a Josh!!  My surprise and my delight were beyond measure. In our massive hug explosion, Josh lifted me right off the ground and my legs did a little mid air dance. After laughing and gasping and smiling bigger than I thought possible, we collided again into another gleeful hug. It just didn’t seem real: running into such a good friend way the hell on the other side of the Earth.

Liana had just stepped out to make a run to the ATM so Josh, Brice and I went to sit at the dining room to wait for her. When she returned I attempted to hide behind the nearest 4X4 wooden pillar and as she came running towards me, obviously having seen most of the bulk of me protruding from either side of the pillar, I jumped out to hug her. Our love force created quite a collision and left us each with a good bump on our heads. Not caring in the least about having just crashed our heads together, we held each other tight and did a little two woman jig around the patio. What joy to see her after over a year since our last meeting!! I could hardly let her go. So much emotion came flooding into me and too many words wanted to spill from my mouth all at once. I told her how proud I was of her and Josh and how happy I was for the two of them. How happy I was to see them now! When I was disappointed I could not see them for their wedding. What a perfect balance that I was able to see them on their honey moon; simply too perfect to believe.

Liana, Josh, Brice and I spent the evening together, along with the entire tour group Josh and Liana were traveling with, first going to see a traditional Balinese dance and theater show and then to a tasty nearby restaurant. Over dinner Liana and Josh told me stories from their Wedding celebration and gave me a precious glimpse into the day I was so sad to have missed. At one point in the conversation, Josh mentioned off hand something about winding up running into me, in Bali, and I was overcome with disbelief all over again. “What!?!” I demanded of Powers that Be. “What!?” I exclaimed again. “How is this possible???”

The list of coincidences that brought us together continues beyond what I had previously known. Josh had almost gone with Liana to the ATM but decided last minute to stay back, for no reason in particular. He had been passing time inside their room but walked out to head to the reception at the exact moment Brice and I walked by on the path opposite their porch. Who knows if we would have found them if these things had not lined up so well? The Random Forces have a way of seeming not so random at times.

We wrapped up our night at the hotel, taking a look at the fabulous painting Liana and Josh had purchased earlier that day and chatting about the probing and interesting books each were reading. Before long Brice and I bid them good night and happy travels, as it was getting late and we all had to get up early the next day. But before parting we took a group photo to commemorate the serendipitous occasion.  

As Brice and I slowly made our way back to our hotel, I held tight and tasted deeply my pure joy in being able to see such good friends at such a significant time in their lives. I looked up at the blinking stars above and sent a radiating beacon of gratitude out into the universe. “THANK YOU!” I thought loudly to the Everything. I returned my gaze to the earth as we walked, shaking my head in stubborn disbelief.