Fantastical Fate

I cannot go another night without confessing the really fantastical things that are happening.

I decided  to graduate in the fall. This was a major step in faith, because I thought being the CD Managing Editor was door I was supposed to walk through. But I didn’t feel a peace about it. One of the stranger things about believing there’s a God of the universe, is knowing that he’s got a still small voice inside of us all that intuitively communicates with us. That still small voice, that intuition, was saying don’t do it. So I said, “God, why? It would be crazy to turn this down.”

My heart had reasons reason knew not of.

Once I had relented that path, a bright light illuminated another one: ArtsBridge UCF. ArtsBridge is a program that gives students opportunities to go into schools (in my case, a high school) and teach/tutor once a week for a semester. Its an internship, basically. That little voice said to give it a try, so I did. But I had some bases to cover before I got the “go ahead.”

Firstly, I needed to see if I hadn’t missed the deadline.

Secondly, I needed to see if I could work at a local high school.

No joke, within the first hour after sending my query emails I received one back from the ArtsBridge director saying that the program was still accepting applicants. Woo!

Then the waiting game started for my second response. I knew FCAT was happening at the time, so teachers weren’t going to respond for a couple of days. Which I guess was okay. But I really like to get quick responses on things.

Later that afternoon, I craved egg rolls. The New Peking close to my house has some SUPERB eggrolls, and they’re cheap. So I threw on my hoodie and brushed my wet hair and got me some egg rolls. As I stepped out of the restaurant, I heard someone frantically calling, “Anna, ANNA! Anna!!”

It was my favorite English teacher from High school. Not only had she received my email about ArtsBridge, but she really wanted me to intern at the school.

Can I get a holy cow? I mean an AMEN.

So it’s really happening. I’m graduating this fall.

But wait, more fantastical events occurred.

Remember the time I wanted to own a coffee shop? I might have not made a big deal about it on here, but in the flesh, I was determined. I thought that any shop opened after 8 in this little town is bound to be a success—but I didn’t have the capital to start it so I kind of let the dream fizzle. I’ve been kind of dreamless for a month and a half.

Saturday, I was painting at a local teen-community center (its fairly new, they’re still trying to organize and put together the building) and I struck up a nice conversation with one of the organization’s leaders. She asked me about my degree, what I wanted to do…that kind of generic talk. I explained that while I am a creative writing major, my desire is to own a little shop and write while I serve customers. But that it was just a dream, and I’d probably up graduating and working a zillion jobs until I find something else.

“We want to open a cafe downstairs. Do you want to run it?” she asked.

“Seriously yo?”

I asked her if it would be a paid position, and she said it would be. Right now they’re in the planning stages, but if I am interested I can attend some planning meetings.

So the job isn’t set in stone, but the fact that within ten minutes of meeting this stranger my dream of owning a coffee shop was realized and possibly answered makes me think that God’s kind of interested in what’s happening in this little life of mine right now.

I still have a list of “desires” for the near future. I desire a car. I desire to move into a house with my best mate. I desire for the heavens to split open, choirs to sing and Mr. Right to reveal himself. If in ONE WEEK God can open two fantastical doors, I’m sure he can provide for the other desires of my heart. In due time.