Trusting Intuition, Intention and Embracing Divine Providence
I had a magical weekend that almost didn’t happen. A friend hosted her first annual “Erckebeiner,” a fun-loving cross-country ski event inspired by the Birkebeiner, an international ski race in northern Wisconsin. Though I intended to go, I initially let other obligations cloud its feasibility. However, with a few conversations, everything fell into place—I not only made it happen but also found the perfect lodging, traveled with the ideal friends for the event, and enjoyed pristine snow conditions.
On a pre-event ski, my intuition nudged me to stop after completing one full, longer-than-I-skied-all-year loop, but I ignored it. Just one kilometer into my extra “pushing myself” loop, my heart rate spiked uncomfortably high. I walked back, listened to my body, and committed to skiing a reasonable distance and paying attention to my intuition in the future.
On the event day, I skied a short lap and felt the urge to take a break in the lodge before heading out for a second loop. There, I struck up a conversation with a woman who, despite living five hours away, shared an uncanny number of connections with me. She had a daughter the same age as mine, whose own daughter was the same age as my granddaughter. She lived just five miles from my daughter and, astonishingly, worked at the same company as my daughter. As we continued talking, she mentioned being good friends with my next-door neighbor and even knowing someone I had lunch with just a month ago.
This serendipitous meeting felt like more than coincidence—it was a reminder of how life gently guides us toward meaningful connections when we stay open to the moment and trust the unfolding path.
A Lesson in Intention and Trust
This experience beautifully reflects a guiding principle I strive to live by:
Stay true to your intention, follow your intuition, forgive yourself when you stumble, and set your intention to resolve and stay on course next time.
By staying true to my initial intention of attending the event, I allowed everything to align in ways I couldn’t have planned. By following my inspiration to take a lodge break, I encountered an unexpected yet deeply meaningful connection. When I ignored my intuition and pushed myself too far, I learned to forgive myself and commit to listening more closely next time.
Doing so allows us to remain open to recognizing divine providence at work, guiding us toward experiences that are not only fulfilling but also filled with unseen support and connection.