Meeting the Sage

Meeting the sage. 

Do you believe in randomness or coincidence? Perhaps sometimes that is the case, but I like to think there is a greater hand in charge of our life. A hand that allows for lessons learned and second chances. 

You will probably recall my story about not holding the door open at the post office for the young man on crutches. Well last week I got a reprieve, a do-over of sorts.  Except, this time it was not a young man, but  an elderly gentleman.

Upon arriving at the post office there was a relatively long line in front of me. On observation I noticed a hunched over elderly man with a cane finishing up his business at the counter. He turned to the people behind him, and apologized for taking so long. 

Since it was apparent that he was moving at a snail's pace, I went over to open the door for him. He thanked me, and I wished him a good day, and that's when the magic happened. He replied, "It is not circumstances or events that determine happiness. It is our choices."

He went on to tell me that each day when he woke up he made a choice to be happy. To the naked eye this man's circumstances did not appear to be stellar. His mobility was extremely limited, and I'm sure due to his advanced age he probably suffered from some other physical ailments as well.  And yet, he genuinely appeared to be happy. 

I thanked him for his kind words, and took them to heart. There is little in this world that we have true control over, but we do have control over our choices. These choices will determine the lens through which we view our life. 

I couldn't help, but think that this "chance" encounter with this sage of the ages was meant to be, and not just some random coincidence. What do you think?