When Synchronicity Knocks… Open the Door

I snapped the photo from my back deck. Not some huge event. Just the kind of sunrise that makes you whisper “thank you” without thinking about it.  For some reason, that morning I wanted to share it, so I texted it to my friend Mary with a simple “good morning.” We rarely talk by phone. She is busy building her world, and I’m over here building mine. An hour later, she pinged back, warm and quick, and asked if I had a minute to talk.

I said, “Yes!”

We tried to connect. The call dropped. We tried again. No luck. Ten attempts between us. Still nothing. Most days, I would give up. She would too. That morning, neither of us did. When the phone line finally opened, it felt like a door had, too.

Mary leads from Type 8 on the Enneagram. In my words, that’s fire with a heart. Big energy. Direct. Protective. You know when she enters a room, even if her high heels haven’t turned the corner yet. She expects a lot from herself and the people she loves. The thing about a true Eight is this: they make things happen 90% of the time... until life throws the kind of curveball you can’t out-muscle…for a while anyway.

The last nine months had been that kind of stretch. Big health issues. A heartbreaking situation with someone she loves. Business is quieter than usual. She had tried every strategy that usually works, and the world just didn’t move. “I feel off,” she said. “I can’t seem to manifest like I always have.”

Her sister had floated an idea days earlier: a yoga retreat right there where she lived in Scottsdale. Mary bristled at the word “yoga”. She didn’t want a fitness trip. She wanted to be nurtured, time to figure things out…make a plan.  She wanted her life back. Still, the seed was planted. She started searching health retreats anyway, casting a wider net than Scottsdale, because that is what “Eights” do when they are serious. They don’t wait to be rescued. They scan the horizon. They figure it out. They rescue themselves.

Italy popped up. A six-day yoga retreat the very next week! The price gave her pause. But she called anyway. If someone canceled, maybe she could slide into a discounted spot. 

Darn, no cancellations. No deal. 

She kept talking with one of the company's partners because she genuinely liked her…they hit it off immediately. Real recognized real. The woman said, almost offhand, “Too bad you’re in California and not Scottsdale. I’m hosting a one-day retreat in Scottsdale tomorrow and I’d love to have you as my guest.”

Mary laughed. “I live in Scottsdale.” That’s when the story turned.

She went to the one-day retreat. Just curiosity and an open seat…meant for her. At the end, there was a Q&A. Mary noticed many of the questions asked were already answered on the website. She had read it front to back. She wanted to know the people running the show, not just the program. 

She confidently raised her hand, stood up, introduced herself, and asked a question only someone who had lived a little would ask: when life gets messy and business is shaky, what do you personally practice to get through... not what you tell your clients, but what you actually do?

The owner almost teared up, crossed the room, and hugged her before answering. “I want to be your friend,” she said. 

Then she shared her practices, up close and personal. After the day was through, her personal assistant found Mary and said, “If you can get yourself to Italy next week, you can have my hotel room. We would love for you to be our retreat guest.”

Here’s the synchronicity that gives me goosebumps. The Italian retreat Mary found while searching was the same company hosting the Scottsdale retreat her sister mentioned. The same owners. The same people. It wasn’t random. It was a golden thread pulling through the fabric, visible only after she followed it.

Mary is just returning from Italy, as I speak.

I keep thinking about that back deck photo and the glitchy phone calls. Why text her that morning? Why keep dialing when the line refused to cooperate? I don’t have a tidy answer. I do have a feeling: some mornings the universe slides a small “nudge” across the table…or the phone line. Our job is to listen…and act on it.  I needed to hear Mary’s manifestation story…you might also.

What this really says about “manifestation”

I’ve come to believe manifestation is not a wish list. It is attention plus aligned action over time. It is a conversation with GUS (God, Universe, Spirit) where you stay awake for the next breadcrumb, and then the next, and you keep your courage tender enough to say “yes” when the door swings open…and walk through with an open heart and mind.

Mary didn’t sit back and visualize a new chapter while the house burned down. She asked. She researched. She called. She showed up. She asked a better question. She did the work only she could do, and life met her…right there at the yoga retreat.

If you lead from Type 8, you’ll recognize the power of it. Eights are wired for decisive action and protection. Under stress, that gift can tighten into control. When an Eight softens the stance but keeps the standards, their power gets clear again. That’s what I witnessed in Mary. Not a fight with life, a partnership. She stopped forcing and started listening. Then she took bold, simple steps the moment the thread appeared.

The anatomy of Mary’s yes…and what we can learn from it.

• A seed gets planted. Sister says yoga retreat. She resists. She also listens. Seeds often show up in casual conversations with people who love us. 

• A search becomes a signal. The Italy retreat appears. Wrong timing, wrong price. She calls anyway. The act of calling shifts the field. You can feel the difference between a browser and a buyer of their own life. 

• A door looks like a detour. No Italian openings. But the partner casually invites her to Scottsdale... tomorrow. Most of us write that off as coincidence. Eights hear opportunity and goes for it

• The right question changes the room. Mary didn’t ask for a discount. She didn’t audition for attention. She asked a human question that revealed who she is and what she values. The owner felt it. Rooms (and hearts) open for that energy. 

• Generosity answers courage. The assistant offers her room. Not just a gift. A mirror. Sometimes life sends a person to say, “You matter. Come.”

If you’re calling something in

1. Tell the truth about what you want. Not the polished version. Mary didn’t want a fitness fix but she didn’t let that stop her. She wanted healing and connection. The clearer the want, the stronger the magnet.

2. Follow the living breadcrumb. Don’t argue with timing. Don’t overthink the detour. Take the next right step. The breadcrumb is not the whole loaf. It is enough to move.

3. Ask one question that isn’t on the website. Your question is your introduction. Let it be brave and human. Let it show what you care about when things are hard.

4. Stay in the room long enough to be found. Show up where your people actually gather. Be the person who did the homework. Deep attention is a rare love letter in a noisy world.

5. Receive the help you say you want. When the gift appears, say yes. You can figure out logistics. You can ask for time. You can breathe through the nerves. Just say yes.

A quick word about Type 8s

Because I love you, Mary. You are the best of Type 8 when you let your strength serve your heart. You protect fiercely. You cut through nonsense. You lift people with your presence. And when life asks you to trade force for flow, you do it without losing yourself. You didn’t bulldoze a door this time. You asked, you listened, and the door opened from the inside.

And then…you shared with me.  Just what I needed.  Thank you.

There is a line from our morning that keeps echoing for me. We kept trying. That was our practice before the big yes. Sometimes the muscle you need for manifestation is built on small repetitions. Try the call again. Ask the deeper question. Follow the next breadcrumb. One honest step at a time.

If you’re reading this and you’re in a hard season, I’m holding your yes with you. You don’t have to push the river. You do have to put your feet in and let the current carry you to the next shoreline. Pay attention. Ask better questions. Let people love you. And when synchronicity knocks... open the door and walk through.

Tell me what you’re calling in. I’ll light a candle for it.

Diana
Love is ALL there is