In the film Sliding Doors (recommend if you haven’t seen it) the whole film is based around the moments that define your life path AND what would happen if you did, or didn’t, do something.  

It’s kind of a story in parallel where Gwyneth Paltrow catches a tube train and the story continues (and the other parallel story is what happens when she misses it)

You must be able to think about moments where you made a decision which completely reshaped your life.  In that moment, another decision would have made your life completely different ….

This week, my husband Snowy and I celebrated being married for 20 years.  

In 2000 we met and we got engaged and married in 2001.  With a sliding doors moment we met.  So randomly.

If Snowy hadn’t decided at the last minute to turn left at some traffic lights in London one Sunday afternoon and come to see his friend Nick, we’d never have met.  

He’d never been to Nick’s house before and I – having just split up from a long-term relationship with Mr Wrong – had just moved in (the day before) to Nick’s house as a lodger to work out what next…

The point of sharing this with you today  is to remind both of us that we can plan, plot, push and try to control only so much in our lives.

We have to watch out for signs, for prods or gifts (which can come wrapped in dirty paper, as my Mentor Andrea says) and pay attention to them.

>> You might be being offered a role which feels ‘too soon’ for you.  It likely isn’t.  

>> You might be being offered a chance to be part of something and you’re not paying enough attention…

>> You might decide your potential life partner has to be and have XYZ or you’re not interested. What about you?  They will likely have to compromise too…

The day after we met, Snowy said to his best friend “I met a great ‘bird’ last night, too posh and too tall for me though“.  I said to my best buddy Ellen “I met a really fun bloke yesterday, too short and he lives in Essex…wherever that is“

I now live in Essex and Snowy – who is 5 years younger and 6 inches shorter than me – and I both know how easily we could have missed each other.  Those Sliding Doors again.

• Watch out for the signs or things/people presented to you
• Consider what the message might be and stay open
• Notice how you feel, really feel – rather than how you think you should feel – when opportunities are presented to you .
• What you seek could be right under your nose... just like Snowy is and has been for over 20 years.  As drawn below by my niece Grace, 5 at the time… 

 In other news…

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Buddies of mine for over 30 years stayed with us this weekend.  I introduced them back in the day and they’ve been married for 20 years too.  More Sliding Doors…