A sign when I really needed one
This essay originally appeared in the Monday morning newsletter on 10/24/22.
The other weekend was Marathon Weekend here in Chicago.
The Chicago Marathon is a unique ‘time marker’ for me. Whenever I start to see the news coverage or hear the cheering for runners that second Sunday in October, I find myself thinking about where I was and what I was doing previous Marathon Weekends.
What was on my mind this time last year? And the year before that?
What was I excited about? What was I worried about?
In particular, there’s always one Marathon Weekend that stands out. Marathon Weekend 2019.
So much can be said about those first couple of years post-college (oh boy, what a time… I think this book summarizes it best), but in my experience, it feels like those first 5ish years post-college fall into a distinct “Act 1” and “Act 2.” (With of course many more ‘acts’ to follow)
Coming from the experience of someone who went to 4 years of college and worked in an office job after graduating, Act 1 felt like almost a continuation of college. My friends and I were just trying to adjust to our new jobs, new routines, new cities. It was a lot of fun and also a bit chaotic.
Then, about 3 years in, you could feel a shift happening (hence “Act 2”). Some people changed jobs, others moved cities, some decided to go back to school. Just as you got your footing, things changed, and you had to adjust once again.
Marathon Weekend 2019 felt like the start of my Act 2. I could feel things shifting around me, but I was unsure of how I fit in or what was next for me.
To give some context, the month prior, one of my best friends and Chicago confidant Maura had officially moved back home to Florida from Chicago. Maura and I went to school together from kindergarten through high school and then happened to both move to Chicago after college, within just about a month of each other (kismet!). We were roommates, neighbors and truly each other’s family in a new and unfamiliar city. I can’t imagine 2016-2019 without her. While I was so excited for her next chapter, it made me question what mine was. I didn’t know what living in Chicago was going to be like without her here.
With some extra time on my hands, I started reading more, expanding to nonfiction. At the time, I was reading Gretchen Rubin’s book Better Than Before and loved her focus on investing in the everyday moments (because after all, as poet Annie Dillard wrote, “how we live our days is how we live our lives”).
Marathon Weekend that year was a low-key, relaxing one for me. I was staying in and saving some money. My big plan for the whole weekend was just watching the marathon on Sunday. That Saturday night, I was scrolling on Instagram when I saw a Gretchen Rubin ad pop up (amazing how that happens just after I was reading her book). I would have normally scrolled by it, but something caught my eye.
She was going to be doing a live taping of her podcast… in Chicago… tomorrow night!
Clicking over to the ticket website, I saw there were still some available. What are the chances! I thought to myself.
The only things holding me back from clicking “purchase” were the $40 ticket price and going by myself.
However, I felt drawn to the event for some reason. So, I bought the ticket, watched the marathon in the morning and made my way to the theater that evening.
Going by myself ended up being much less scary than I thought it would be, but more than that, the best part of that evening was having an “I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be” feeling. I was happy to be in this city with access to events like this. I was happy to be exploring topics and being exposed to conversations I found really interesting. At the time, I had been toying with the idea of starting some kind of writing-related endeavor (;)) to fill some of my free time and I felt encouraged to think about it more seriously because of a few things I heard that evening.
The next day – Monday morning – I headed off to work, filled up from my experience the night before and ready to take on the week.
It was chilly that morning, so I grabbed a trench coat I hadn’t worn since fall of the previous year on my way out. At the bus stop, I pulled on my coat, stuck my hands in my pockets and felt something…?
Curiously, I pulled my hands out of my pockets, only to find two $20 bills. Exactly the cost of the ticket from last night.
!!!!!
It was a total goosebumps moment. Signs like this are far and few between, but when we catch them – when we are alert and open to receiving them – there is truly nothing better.
It was just what I needed to confirm I was in the right place and on the right path. And just a few weeks later (3 years ago this coming Friday!), I’d go on to send my first edition of this newsletter, something that has brought me so much and helped me navigate that next chapter and the next one after that.
Have you ever received a sign like this? Offering this story this morning in case you are in the midst of a transitional period or time of a questioning when a sign could really make a difference. Stay alert, stay open and you might just be surprised to find what happens next.
Have a great week!
Want to receive a note like this to your inbox every Monday at 6 AM EST? Sign up here! If you don’t receive the email, please check your spam or junk folder.
Have feedback, thoughts or a question you want addressed in an upcoming newsletter? Drop an anonymous note to my mailbox here!