The Secret

I love vintage illustrated children's books.

What would you do if you weren't afraid? -- Spencer Johnson.

I am so inspired this morning! Last night I watched the movie The Secret. Has anyone else seen it? Or read the book? I can hardly contain my enthusiasm. It's based on a principle called "The Law of Attraction." I'm waiting for Audrey and David to arrive and I need more time to absorb it, so I can't explain it here just now. But let me give you an example from my own experience that convinces me there is something very powerful to this idea of knowing what you want.

In 2000, I had just gone through a romantic disappointment. I had a wonderful man who wanted to marry me, but for many reasons it wasn't the right relationship for me. It got me to thinking about what I really did want from a relationship. As I went around in my daily life people would ask me about him and I would tell them the sad story how I had to send him back home, 6000 miles away, because I just couldn't marry him. Then I would add this bit,

What I really need is a man who lives down the street. He would have his place and I would have mine. We would have a standing Friday and Saturday date, but see each or talk to each other occasionally through the week. He would be kind and helpful to me with all these things around here that always need to be done and I could do little things for him, too, things that also made his life better. I wouldn't care what he did for a living -- he could be a truck driver -- nor would I care what he looked like -- he could be old with missing teeth -- just as long as we had an affectionate and loving relationship.

Then in Spring 2001, I was working in my yard, minding my own business, pulling weeds and planting a vegetable garden. I wasn't trying to meet anyone, was only working on improving my place. Then this man in a pickup began driving by, waving and smiling at me. It turns out it was Jorge, who lived down the street and who drove a garbage truck for a living.

Our relationship quickly became affectionate, loving, and helpful to one another. We had a standing Friday and Saturday date. We helped each other in countless ways -- he helped me repair things around my house, and I helped him with a much appreciated woman's touch. I helped him cope with an unexpected divorce and he healed my old long-standing wounds.

He was older than me by 14 years. And, as it turns out, he had dentures.

At some point, I realized, my God, it was like Go Fish, I got exactly what I wanted! It still amazes me to this day that it happened exactly as I wished it. There was not one thing that I asked for out loud that I didn't get.

And that's the point of The Law of Attraction. There's much more that could be said, but in its essence it's about me -- and you -- clearly asking for what you want. According to this law, you don't need to know the steps how to make it a reality (remember, I was simply working in my yard), you just must know the what.

Any one else have a similar experience? An answered prayer? A bit of serendipity that gave you exactly what you had wished for? I would love to hear about it, either here in a comment, or perhaps an email to me. Maybe we could even start our own phenomenon, an experiment, by stating on our blogs what it is we really dream of and see what happens.

Such hope. Such dreams. Such possibilities. Let's Go Fish...ing!