Saturday, February 20, 2016

Make New Friends, But Keep The Old…..

As the saying goes, people are in our lives for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime. I’m sure you have noticed this phenomenon in your life to one degree or other. In days gone by, in an environment with much less technology, people's world generally consisted of their close family, neighbors, friends from work and various organizations they belonged to. It was a challenge enough keeping up with everyone then. In my own life there was a time when I could keep track of many family and friends’ birthdays, special events and what was going on in their lives. However, with increased technology and broader travels, I meet thousands of people – making new friends everywhere I go. As much as I would like to stay in close contact with everyone, this has become physically impossible. I just do the best I can and rely on the Universe to help me touch base or reconnect with just the right friends at just the perfect time. It is almost miraculous how this has worked out for me over and over again.


A great example of connections and uncanny reconnections happened recently. One day I was to meet my daughter Natasha for lunch. She is a Banker at Wells Fargo in Westlake Village CA on Lindero Canyon Road. Since I was arriving earlier than her lunch time, she requested I pick up sub sandwiches from a shop on Lindero Cyn Rd and Kanan Road. When I arrived at the shopping center, I wasn’t sure, from her description, which place to go. It could have been 1 of 3 possible food establishments. Since I couldn’t call her, I chose a place based on the number of the address….640. (Some of my readers will smile knowingly here.) So there I am, standing in Sub Contractor
Sandwiches waiting for my order, when an interesting mural on the
wall catches my eye. Depicted is a colossal sub sandwich with a team of builders in the process of its construction. Men on ladder and around are dwarfed by its size. What really jumped out at me was the artist’s signature in the design….Linda Hager. My gosh, I hadn’t seen that name in ages!

Linda Hagar is an extremely talented muralist. In the beginning of 2001, she transformed my upstairs home office in Thousand Oaks into a magical beachscape. (I wish I had photos to share with you of her enchanting creation but, as you may imagine, a gypsy cannot take everything with her.) It was so refreshing to work by “the shore” complete with sand castle, treasure chest, shells and a crab. Mommy and baby dolphin never tired of leaping in the air. My “sky” was a bluish purple with cotton candy clouds floating by. When we moved from that house, that scene and feeling was one of the most difficult things I had to leave behind. Hopefully the new owners appreciated it with their own sense of wonder. Over the years, there were a couple occasions I wanted to refer Linda’s work. For some reason, the contact info I had for her no longer worked and I couldn’t track her down.

Back at Sub Contractor…I compliment the sandwich art to the gentleman behind the counter asking how long it had been there. He responded about 15-20 years. With guarded hope, I asked if he knew how to contact the artist. As he apologetically responded, the woman behind me, another Linda, piped up with a cheerful, “I know Linda”. Wow, what are the odds? Evidently, when the Universe in conspiring in your favor, the odds are very great! I ended up giving her my card and she got back to me later with Linda’s contact info. It was wonderful to re-connect and hear Linda’s voice over the phone. She has been keeping busy with her art especially in a gratifying manner that touches untold numbers. Her work brightens peoples’ day in pediatric and oncology hospital wards. You can read more about that work in this 2011 LA Daily News Article If you’d like reach Linda Hager regarding her work, just contact me and I will assist in facilitating that.

I used to get a little frustrated not being able to keep in touch with people in the manner I desired. Now that I trust making the perfect connections at the right times, this type of Serendipity happens often in my life. Can you think of the times it’s happened in yours as well? Did you know you can actually magnetize desired synchronicities in your life on a regular basis instead of just random happenings? You can discover how with the guidance of Telephone Wellness Coaching. Read about it HERE to see/feel if it’s right for you.

If you are reading this now, you are my Friend on some level and I thank you for that gift! Many of my relationships are maintained more on a spiritual or soul level. While we may not be able to see each other or converse for years, we definitely are aware of each other’s presence. When we do communicate or see each other again, we just pick up where we left off. The bond remains strong. It is like no time has gone by. Then again, what is time? Perhaps a topic for another day :-)

PS to this blog post with regard to Linda Hager's magical art....
She has painted many uplifting murals both at Tarzana Regional Medical Center as well as Holy cross Hospital in Mission Hills. The significance of this is that I was born in Holy Cross and my kids both made their entrance into this world at Tarzana. Linda was kind enough to share a number of photos of her work. I am happy to present a few of them are below. Linda Hager can be reached at lbhager2@gmail.com if you would like to comment or inquire about her work.