2020: The Year of the Rat and Meaningful Coincidences

Cynics are out there. Everywhere. You may be one of them. My husband is one. My best friend is one. I’m not shaming them for it, at least that’s what I’m telling you in this blog so I sound like a non-judgmental wife and friend. 

I’m so amazed by the following story, one can only imagine how it felt to tell it and have it fall on deaf ears. I still am not 100% sure what these “coincidences” mean, yet I believe it is with an open heart and interpretation to all things coincidental that I receive spiritual fulfillment. 

(Number sequence below used for effect) 

  1. It was 2008, the year of the rat. 

  2. My mother, who was born in the year of the rat (1948) looked at me and said “don’t do anything stupid tonight,< insert name>”. 

  3. I did stupid things that night.

  4. I proceeded to encounter a rat in an alley. 

  5. That rat bit me. 

  6. I woke up the next morning with the rat standing in the same spot as when it bit me. (Answer to your question is: I, nor the person I was with, could drive the night before)

  7. I got rabies shots because most people would argue it was rabid. I would argue it was my mom or grandpa or one of my spirit guides. 

FAST FORWARD: 

  1. I married my husband in 2016 (not the year of the rat, but needed for story sequence)

  2. My husband was born in the year of the rat (1984)

  3. The day I decided to change my life forever by abstaining from some unhealthy habits was 2/22. 

  4. The day my husband decided to change his life forever by abstaining from some unhealthy habits was 3/23. 

  5. There are exactly 2 years, 2 months, and 3 days between our birthdays (Mine: 5/11/82, His: 7/14/84) 

  6. My son was born at 2:32 pm. 

  7. 2 and 3 are the lucky numbers of the year of the rat. 

Other not as cool stories: 

  • I notice 3:42 very regularly on digital clocks. I grew up with the house number 342. 

  • I think of <insert random friend’s name>, random friend calls me within minutes. (fairly regular occurrence and what I imagine to be very relatable for all five of you reading this). 

  • I meet “Kevin” (unhealthy relationship), Kevin introduces me to “Scott” (unhealthy relationship), Scott introduces me to “Joe” (neutral), Joe introduces me to “Janice” (healthy relationship), and Janice gives me a job that keeps on giving through my trade. 

Synchronicity, simply put, is any “meaningful coincidence”. Synchronicity, according to Webster,  is the simultaneous occurrence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection. Carl Jung introduced this concept when no causal relationship seemed to explain certain phenomena in our spiritual experiences as humans. 

My reason for this blog is to evoke curiosity, inviting readers (all five of you) to share an experience that you’ve had which falls in line with synchronicity, no matter how silly it feels. I mean, I just shared a rat story with you. I chose to interpret this morally void experience with maternal warning and willingly allow an archetype to represent my greatest gifts: sobriety and family. 

And here we are in 2020, coincidentally….The. Year. Of. The. Rat.

Ubuntu Wellness