Rebirth Part 3: How Synchronicity Led Me to My Dream Job
Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time.
Some would just call this a coincidence. Others would proclaim it evidence of the synchronised nature of life. Others still might just brush it off as a stroke of good luck. Any of them and all of them may be true.
But one thing is for sure, when events in your life seem to be orchestrated by serendipitous means in a way that you couldn’t have possibly ever predicted or planned, it feels like there is an invisible intelligence working for your highest good.
It can seem as if someone has taken a magic wand and waved it over your life. Things just slot into place as if they were always meant to be. Events, people and places just line up and you just waltz straight in and take your cue. At least, this is how it has felt for me this past year.
What has felt like a personal tragedy, has turned into a miraculous feat of dreams coming true. As I said in an earlier post, after loss, erosion and decay, comes new life, renewal and transformation.
‘What can have happened?’, you may ask for me to wax lyrical? Surely the farm shop can’t be all that?
Dear reader, let me tell you the story of how I have found myself doing what I had always wanted to do: planting seeds of a more beautiful world, both literally and figuratively.
New Community
It all started when I googled ‘writing groups’ in my nearest city Lancaster, almost a year ago. I was eager to get out there and meet some new people outside of the confines of the small market town of Garstang, where I moor my boat.
Luckily for me I found one, held at The Gregson Community Arts Centre , a community-run pub not far from the centre of the small, historic city. As soon as I walked in, I knew I had found my place. Oddly quirky, whilst retaining its traditional pub roots, it is a hive for creativity, hosting a wide range of groups, clubs and arty events.
I knew this vibe; it is the same in every town and city maybe with different colours and flavours. This was the same atmosphere as what I had known in those bohemian neighbourhoods of Madrid, except now I could speak my own language and hear my own accent.
In these places people are very open and it is easy to get talking. I had only been sat down for 10 minutes when I had started a conversation with two different people. We exchanged narrow boat experiences and spoke about growing food and community gardens. I was even invited to go and see a community garden which was just a short walk from the pub!
It felt like I was travelling, once again going with the flow, meeting people and saying yes to opportunities for interesting experiences. I took the invitation to see the community garden nearby and listened to the story of its creation. The guy who showed me also showed me his epic garden. He had turned his terraced house backyard into a watery oasis and thriving ecosystem which looked to me like a true work of art.
In our conversations he told me about another community garden called Claver Hill. It seemed like Lancaster had lots to offer in the way of alternative, green communities. I felt excited; it seemed like there was more to this area of Lancashire than I had previously thought. I took a mental note to check it out at a later date.
Marina Connections
Fast forward a few months.
A woman called Rachel is temporarily staying on the marina whilst she is doing some work on her boat. She looks to be a similar age to me and has the style of an outdoorsy arty type. I saw an opportunity for making a new friend and went to strike up conversation.
We chatted over a cup of tea and it turned out that we had a lot in common. Aside from living on her boat, she also had an interest in growing food. She told me about the organisation she worked for called LESS, that did a lot of work in North Lancashire to promote local, organic food in the area (a project called ‘Food Futures’). They were even looking for land to start a community farm.
That sounded like my kind of place to work, I thought. How cool would that be, to work with such like-minded people!
She told me about another project they run, an organic market garden. And the best bit? It’s in Garstang! What are the chances! What’s more, they run a volunteer day once a week, the perfect chance to get involved.
These are the moments whereby you happen to be in the right place at the right time to receive the information that you need to take the next step forward.
They come to you easy, but have the potential to transform your life – if you act on them that is.
The Plot
The following Wednesday I went to check out the organic market garden Rachel had told me about. They were holding an open day and volunteer session, and I had come for both. The project is called ‘The Plot’, a one acre, no-dig organic market garden which aims to sell its produce to local retailers and through a local veg box scheme.
There I met many lovely people who were also volunteering, as well as Dennis, the Chief Grower overseeing the production. He was very knowledgeable and shared my enthusiasm for permaculture.
(He was also very patient as a lot of us volunteers spent more time chatting than we did working!).
It felt great to be out in the fresh air with my hands in the soil, working with the Earth. This was far from the cityscape I was used to in Madrid, with green fields all around as far as the eye could see. It felt aligned with who I am and what I have been searching for, and I couldn’t quite believe my ‘luck’.
I had originally landed by chance in Garstang, just because that is where my boat had a mooring. But with the way things were turning out, it looked as if I couldn’t be in a better spot!
When I had first come back to England, I had thought I had to go down South to find this kind of thing. Little did I know that my home county of Lancashire has so much to offer.
A New Job
The following week I went again to volunteer. In between wheel barrowing around manure and putting it on the beds, I chatted more to Dennis and told him about Madrid, the community garden, my permaculture studies and finally about working at the farm shop.
I told him how boring it was at times and how really I am a teacher, and how I would love to be able to teach something I was passionate about like permaculture.
“Are you looking for a job?”, he asked.
“What?”, I asked, a little taken aback.
“There is a job going for a person to teach permaculture in schools”.
I got a sudden rush of excitement and nervousness. Wow, that sounded like a dream job that surely doesn’t exist in the real world!
I tried to play it cool.
“Oh, but I’m not sure I know enough”, I said.
“Well, you could give it a go”, he said. “I will send you the details anyway”.
True to his word, he did. After reading the job description, a pleasant surprise turned to a fiery excitement followed by a grip of anxiety and nervousness.
The job was to lead and coordinate a network of afterschool clubs, teaching nature-based education, growing food and incorporating permaculture. Talk about a perfect opportunity!
I was sure that I would be in with a good chance as I hit all of the job specifications. However, I had missed the application deadline by a few days. Gutted! Nevertheless, I sent it in anyway.
What did I have to lose? At the very least, I will have got my CV on their desks in case of any other future opportunities.
A week later I had an interview at a primary school in Lancaster. The very next morning they rang and offered me the job! I couldn’t believe my ‘luck’! After so many years of teaching and doing things related to growing food in my spare time, finally the two were coming together. This truly was a dream come true!
Not only was it a dream come true, but a secret wish I had harboured since I met Rachel on the marina a month prior. I had wanted to work for her organisation and lo and behold, my new job is with that very same organisation, LESS!
Dream Job
It is now a few months into this new job and my after school clubs are in full swing.
I am loving teaching the kids about growing food and feel privileged to have the opportunity to sow the seeds of a different world in the minds and hearts of the future generations.
It feels amazing to work for an organisation that is aligned with some of my core values and work with like-minded people. It doesn’t really feel like work most of the time, which I think is the hall mark of a dream job!
And that community garden I told you about at the beginning of the post? One of my afterschools clubs is hosted there. I get to go there and plant seeds and get paid for my time! Could the pieces of the puzzle fit any better?!
These are the moments whereby I am in awe of life and how it conspires to lead us to the people and places that can point us in the direction of our purpose, passion, and dreams.
It seems that my friend Madeline from my last post was right. When you are aligned, you are on a path of greater expansion. Alignment generates more alignment, meaning more opportunities and possibilities that fit with the pattern.
I wasn’t destined to work in the farm shop, but it was on the right track. No doubt I am not destined to forever teach nature-based after school clubs, (but it wouldn’t be so bad if I was).
Everything is temporary; our jobs, our relationships and our homes. It’s not our job to make it all last forever, but it is our job to enjoy it whilst it is here…
…Whilst WE are here.
Speaking of homes, I have some more updates to come. Watch this space!
Love, love, love this post! I’m totally made up for you Olivia. So cool when fate lends a hand and your luck changes for the better…..long May this fantastic streak continue! 👍👏👏👏👏👏❤️
Thanks Tim! I’ve just seen your comment because it went into spam for some reason. But yes, thank you and I am pleased to say that it is continuing!
Well done Olivia, you’ve come such a long way in the last twelve months. It just shows what having a positive attitude can achieve 😀💕
Thanks Dad xxx