Fate-Fact or Fiction?

The definition of fate is described as the power or agency supposed to determine the outcome of events before they occur; destiny; something inevitable, supposedly determined by this power.

I believe everything in life happens for a reason; so yes, I believe in fate.

I'm sure everyone can relate to having a bad experience in their life--well, for some of us, maybe more than one. When I think back on my own personal experiences, I have had my fair share of good and bad. To be truthful, I am thankful for both because without one or the other, I would never be the person I am today. I am a strong believer in letting nature take its course.

Did you ever ask yourself, "What if I would have done this instead of that? What if I made that decision instead of this decision?" You'd probably go mad thinking of all the possible outcomes.

When I was young, I would always ask my grandmother to tell me the story of how she met my grandfather. It was always so intriguing to me. You couldn't help but ask yourself, "Was it meant to be?" 

I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite stories on how love flourishes in sometimes the oddest of places. Was it fate? You decide.

***

A friend of mine was a 23 year-old hair stylist in Pittsburgh, PA. 

25 years ago, Pittsburgh had a terrible blizzard and she was at work. The salon hardly had any customers all day long and it was time to close. It had been a long, tiring day and she just wanted to close the shop and go home.

She had just finished mopping the floor when the door flew open and the bitter chill of winter cut through the salon. A man appeared in the doorway and shook off the snow. "Is it too late for me to get a haircut?" he asked.

She turned around to see a very handsome man standing there. How could she turn him down? Would you? So she smiled politely and told him to come in. As she was washing his hair, she tried not to study him too intently. One thing was for certain, she thought he was gorgeous. 

Trying not to be nervous, she slyly looked down at his ring finger. Thankfully to her, it was bare. She tried to make polite conversation to ensure he did not have a girlfriend. To her dismay, the answer he gave was not the one she wanted to hear. That was all she needed to hear, he was off limits.

She gave him the haircut and never thought about him again.

A few weeks later, the same man called and scheduled another appointment with her; however, something was different about that visit. He was now single.

They talked and talked and scheduled a date for that same night. In fact, they were together every night for the next three months, until he dropped a bomb.

His job required him to move to WA and he would not be returning anytime soon. Having very little choice in the matter, he regrettably left for WA, leaving her behind. He called three weeks later and told her he couldn't live without her, begging her to come to WA. To her parents' dismay, she dropped everything and moved to WA to be with him. Her parents were furious, but she took a chance on love and won.

25 years later, they are still married with three kids and very much in love. Fate?

***

A friend of mine shared this story with me about his grandparents and it always brings a smile to my face.

His grandmother was from England. During World War II, she was engaged to an English tank operator. By some twist of fate, no pun intended, her betrothed was killed in action. She was completely heartbroken.

Six months later, she was in a pub in England. An emcee was up on stage and tried to get the audience to participate in his banter. He asked if anyone in the audience had a birthday that day to please come up on the stage. His future grandfather, an American soldier, walked up onto the stage. Low and behold, his grandmother's birthday was also on the same day. As he's telling me this story, I thought I knew right away where it was heading. It gets even better... 

As she attempted to climb up onto the stage, there were microphone and speaker cords laying all about. She lifted her foot, got tangled in the cord, tripped, and literally fell into the arms of his grandfather. Fate? *happy sigh*

***  
The last one that I'll share is my own personal story with my DH.

After earning my degree, I was looking for a job. A family member suggested that I come to MD and look for a job down there.  

So off I went into unknown territory and lived with family for a few months. I had just ended a two year relationship that I had in college and was in no means ready or even willing to start dating again. I was enjoying my new found freedom too much.

That family member boarded a horse at my future mother-in-law's farm. We would go riding there all of the time and I would see my future mother and father-in law. When I think back, it was sort of funny not knowing that someday you would be related. They spoke of having a son, but of all the times I had been there, I had never seen him. 

A few months later, that family member thought it might be a good idea to "hook me up" with the MIA son. Having no desire to date, let alone being "fixed-up" with someone, I kept blowing her off. That was such a loser thing for me. Who wanted to be "fixed-up" with someone? I was not some charity case and I did not need to have a boyfriend at the moment. I was totally against it.

A few weeks later, we had just returned from riding. As I brushed my mount, I could not help but notice the shirtless guy with the cool shades mowing the grass. He screamed masculinity. The sun reflected off his bulging biceps and I had to consciously lift my mouth.

I nudged my family member. "Who is that?" I asked, trying not to drool. She looked at me and smiled. "Oh, that's the son. You're not interested remember?" she smirked.

I think my response was a giddy, "Oh my God! You've got to introduce me!"

Needless to say, we were introduced and we were inseparable. I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with him after that first date. We were married a few years later and also moved back to PA. It was almost as if I was in MD for the sole purpose of meeting my DH.

20 years later, we are still together. Fate? I think so!

What about you? Do you believe in fate? If you have an interesting story to tell, please share!