Do We Need to Figure Everything Out?

Realizing more moments of harmony

A woman drinking coffee ponders something that has caught her attention—photo by Caleb George on Unsplash.

A singular event caused me to pause and reflect in awe. The event happened so seamlessly that I almost missed that I had achieved another dream (the first being a move to Florida). To anyone else, the moment looked trivial. My debut book had just been placed on a rack for sale.

Months earlier, I envisioned my book displayed in a local Flagler Beach, Florida shop. I lived in Pennsylvania then and trusted I would come up with how to do that after I moved.

Now, in Florida (having moved a couple of weeks earlier), Lori (the photographer whose work graced the cover of my summer-released book) and I settled in at the Funky Pelican seafood restaurant. The beachfront restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows offers spectacular views. Overcast skies, sand, and ocean waves filled our senses, along with seafood, soup, and salads. Fittingly, we were near the location of the book's cover, which featured the iconic Flagler Beach pier.

The wooden pier had stood valiantly against hurricanes but, during the book's development, had succumbed in part to the tumultuous waves. Precious photos captured its past glory. I loved the one Lori snapped. The long pier served as nature's divider, flanking a blue and white cloud sky from a blue and white frothy ocean. The cinnamon-colored coquina beach sand grounded the sky, pier, and waves.

Luckily, Lori agreed I could use the image on the book's cover. Because she lived in Florida and I was in Pennsylvania then, we discussed the book cover over the phone and by email. Lunch was our first in-person connection, and the conversation proved easy-going.

An hour later, we were at the Gallery of Local Arts (GOLA), an in-town building featuring lovely jewelry, artwork, photographs, and handcrafted items. In the shop, Lori and I stood before her own photographic installation. A customer stood with us admiring the photographs, going back and forth between two of Lori's photos of the Flagler Beach pier. Then, Lori (agreed by GOLA) took my book and displayed it as part of her installation. A pink flamingo and a striped lighthouse became the book's neighbors, among other seaside scenes.

And, just like that, the book was now displayed for purchase in a Flagler Beach, Florida, shop.

Later, reflecting on the day's happenings, a realization dawned. I hadn't "figured out" how to get my book displayed. Instead, I had opened myself up to meet this talented photographer.

I was in Pennsylvania. A vision for my book's cover had me photo-hunting. Then, a fragment of memory pulled on me: a prior visit to the GOLA shop, a flash of an image. I found the photo and the artist online. Crossing my fingers, I reached out to Lori. Would she agree to use her Flagler Beach pier image on my book cover? The angle and view were spot on. Lori agreed. She also generously updated me with construction photos of our Florida house while I lived in Pennsylvania. I had encountered a terrific human being.

Because I had met Lori, I had no way of knowing then that the door to book placement would be opened later. And I met Lori because I put aside my fear of reaching out to photographers in Florida. The fear almost sounds silly now, but I felt uncomfortable.

Putting aside my fear also coincided with letting go of knowing all the answers, including how to get my book on shelves. I trusted I'd be nudged along by my intuition. This had turned out even better. Unknowingly, the book being placed in a local Florida shop had been put in motion because I had stepped out of my comfort zone.

Discovering life will work out for me without "hard" work feels delicious, a delectable outcome to trusting life.

I don’t need to figure everything out. I still plan, but I trust my gut. I still act, but I let go of knowing all of the answers. I still get fear, but I trust life to lead me to what I need to know for now. This way, I find more harmony in daily living.

Conclusion: The Outcome

I have learned once you start taking action toward your dream, sparks of joy and/or deep satisfaction percolate.

I also learned that once you start trusting life works out for you, life starts working out for you. How fun is that?

And I learned that when you take action toward your vision, life will sometimes surprise you with its gifts, like meeting someone who helps you place your book in a shop.

When these moments of harmony happen, recognize they just did.