The Universe Took Over, and Here's How it Turned Out
I've been taking a short story fiction writing class for the past eight or so weeks. On the very first night, the woman sitting next to me was explaining how she was late to class. Her work was having a happy hour, but she had class. She decided to cut it down the middle (leave early from the happy hour and come late to class) because she was contemplating:
Where is the Universe telling me to be at this exact moment?
I mean -- how poetic. I wrote that down immediately in my journal and have been mulling it over ever since. On its face value, I get it and appreciate, but I couldn't figure out how it actually works in practice. How do you really listen to the Universe and where it tells you to be? I just make a lot of those decision for myself without the whisper of the Universe.
For weeks I've thought about this concept, and for the first time I think I get it.
My friend and I wanted to go see the Yayio Kusama exhibit at the Hirshhorn. We tried to get tickets online for a few weeks and couldn't get any, so we decided just to drive up and try to wait in line. Online, it said people start waiting as early as 7:30AM, so we go on the road at 6AM to try to be there by 8AM.
Mission accomplished. We got there a few minutes after 8AM. All week we had been preparing for the worst. We knew it was going to be tough to get in, especially since it was the last weekend of the exhibit. However, I had a feeling that we'd get in. I mean -- I woke up at 4:45AM and drove two hours to get there.
I had to have faith that it'd work out.
Plus, I've raked up a ton of karma points lately. I didn't lie about having a roommate to get an extra pool pass. I helped build a house for Habitat for Humanity and organized a snack drive for a local elementary school. I've cut out some negatively-energized people from my life. I even left two cans in a bag on my door handle that morning for the mailman to donate to local families in need.
All my goodness has to convince the Universe to let me into the museum, right?
That's a hard no, unfortunately. We waited in line for three hours and didn't get in. Turns out, we weren't even close to getting in.
We told a lot of people about our rejection. Collectively, everyone says, "I'm so sorry, that's a really bummer! It's so not fair..."
And I agree entirely! It is a bummer, buuuut (and here's the but) I think it's what the Universe wanted. However dumb that sounds, I mean it. We ended up picking a place to go to brunch and ended up at their inaugural brunch. As in, we were there in their first week with their doors open and first-ever brunch service.
Not only that, but the place we stumbled upon, called Hen Quarter, was amazing. The bloody Mary I had was questionably the best I've ever had, and their chicken, biscuits and gravy plate was divine. Our waitress was also hilarious, prompt, helpful and friendly. On top of that, they have a sister restaurant based where else but in the RVA!? (That place is Hattie Mae's, has brunch, and I am now dying to go).
Then we ended up going to the D.C. zoo, which was my first time. We saw the pandas, fennec foxes, elephants, armadillos, cheetahs and even the most aggressive type of zebra. I didn't even know there was more than one kind of zebras!
And then we rounded out the night with a flight of beer, pizza and some good friends from college that I haven't seen since March.
I didn't get what I wanted, and I'm pretty convinced it's because the Universe knew it could do me one better.