The Universe Conspires

I have not posted in over two weeks because I have been travelling in the northeastern United States.  This is a brief account of an incident that took place on the first day of my travels.

Monday, January 6th, was my first day officially "on the road."  I carried with me only two bags, both bursting at the seams with clothing, books I hoped to read, my electronic devices and some personal items.  My vehicle I left in Clayton, NC as I was determined to rely exclusively on public transportation for this adventure. 

I had a few destinations, but no itinerary.  There are friends and family living all over the east coast with whom I would stay.  Carrboro, NC was my first stop, where I would meet up with Rachel, one of my dearest friends.  My sister Brittnye was gracious enough to bring me to Carrboro, making the first leg of the trip exceptionally easy.  I had a couple of hours before Rachel would be off work, so I decided to drop into a coffee shop near her work place.  I had only recently moved away from Carrboro which had been my home for over six years.  Despite the length of my residence in the small town, I had never once set foot in Oasis in Carr Mill until that day.  The vibes in the shop were immediately refreshing.  The art, furniture and soft music strongly reflected Eastern and Native American spiritual traditions.  At the counter there was a small gong with a sign saying "Please Ring Gong for Service."  Behind the counter sat a jovial looking gentlemen with receding white hair and a beard.  His eyes were extremely friendly.  Intuitively I knew that this was the establishment's proprietor.  I ordered hot green tea with honey and immediately began interrogating the gentleman, as I always do when I find myself face to face with the owner of any food or beverage business.  "How long has this place been open?"  "What inspired the décor?"  "Have you been busy?"  The gentleman answered my questions openly and proudly.  He was obviously delighted to been engaged in a conversation about the philosophy of his business.  He informed me that the shop offers free presentations, group mediations and live music on a nightly basis.  Gesturing around the room, he suggested that if I was looking for something to read there were a number of books around the room.  Some of the titles included "The Beauty Path," "Memoirs of an Ex-Hippie," "Rasta Heart," and "A Guide for an Awakening Planet," all written by Robert Roskind and published by One Love Press.  It took me only a few seconds to realize that this gentleman was Robert Roskind.  My curiosity about Robert and Oasis peaked.

And then he did something unexpected.  He turned the tables and started interrogating me.  "What brings you to Oasis this afternoon?"  "How long have you lived in Carrboro?"  "What sort of work do you do?"  I found him so intriguing and easy to talk to that I practically blurted out my entire life story.  I explained that I had recently been a dedicated chef and restaurant consultant, that in the last couple of years that I had been deeply conflicted about the commercialization of agriculture and the genetic modification of the food we eat, that I had become passionate about holistic nutrition and the importance of balancing the body-mind with meditation and yoga, and that I had recently abandoned my career and home to go in pursuit of...  I'm still not quite sure what.  He listened to my rambling patiently and kindly.  I concluded by telling him that I would be spending most of this year learning about organic agriculture by working on WWOOFing farms.  When I was finished, he suggested that I visit Jamaica to learn about the Rastafarian life philosophy.  I readily admitted that such a trip interested me immensely, and that I already had plans to visit Guatemala in May with a non-profit organization called MILE (Music Is Love Exchange).  I stated that I was supremely interested in the Mayan culture and have a deep affection for the Guatemalan people that I have worked with over the last several years.  When I mentioned Maya and Guatemala, his eyes lit up.  "Hold on just a moment, Seth.  I have something for you."  He disappeared into a back room and emerged a moment later with a book entitled "2012: The Transformation from the Love of Power to the Power of Love," written by none other than Robert Roskind.  He explained that he had written the book in 2006 when he and his family had traveled to Guatemala, he said, "to see if the wisdom of Maya contained a message of one love for all humanity."  He and his family had visited peoples of numerous other cultures in search of the same message, including the Hopi Native Americans and the Rastafarians in Jamaica.  In "Memoirs of an Ex-Hippie" he describes the message of One Love that came out of the counterculture moment in the 1960's and 70's. 

I was perplexed to say the least.  It was my first day on the road.  The entire purpose of this journey was to experience the rebirth that occurs when one is traveling, to let the universe point me in the direction my life should take, and to discover what things are truly important to me.  And here I was, on day one of that journey, in a town that I know all too well, in a coffee shop where I had never set foot, talking to a gentleman who had spent most of his life traveling for the same purpose.  And not only that, he had experienced the mysteries of Maya and had discovered that in their ancient wisdom there was indeed a message of one love for all humanity.  If this wasn't a sign of encouragement that I was on the right track, I couldn't imagine what one would look like.  Still trying to wrap my head around the enormity of this coincidence, I gratefully accepted his gift.  I opened the book and saw that he had written an inscription on the inside cover: "Seth, best of luck in your travels.  Enjoy our life's journey!  With love, Robert."  I would devour the entire book in the first four days of my trip.

I found a comfortable couch and sat down to write some notes in my journal, sipping the delightfully hot tea, the wheels in my head spinning at high speed.  When the hour came for Rachel to get off work, I carried my tea mug to the counter and thanked Robert profusely for his gift and the conversation.  "I have one last question for you," I said as I adjusted my pack on my shoulder.  "How did you come to open this coffee shop in Carrboro, NC of all places?"  He hesitated for a brief moment, but then looked me square in the eye and said with a grin, "This is the project that the Creator assigned me.  The reasons I will know in time."