A skeptic by definition, I don’t really believe our dearly departed smile upon us and help us with our everyday problems, like finding the damn car keys. Would be quite odd since I don’t have a car. Yet, there are moments when the Universe speaks to us. That’s how it felt last night when I went to the nearby park to clear my head and have a smoke. Feeling very low and not in a mood for a long walk I spotted from afar the nearest empty bench and decided it would do. And there it was, this shiny little thing waiting for me. I was not sure what it was. A broken pocket watch someone left behind? A compass, as unlikely as that would be? Nope. Turns out the little round thing was a portable ashtray. A bit unusual a find as here you stump the cigarette butt on the ground like everyone else.
The moment I managed to open it I knew exactly what it was - a gift from my father, who must have smoked plenty of cigarettes in this park. Since he was not in my life, I guess it was high time he did something nice for me. Like be there for me, for a change. “Here, child, you are not alone. Sit down and have a cigarette. It would do you good.” (No need to frown, he approved of smoking. What can you do?)
As I was heading home with my gift, I took special care to go on the street where my grandparents and parents once lived. They’re very small and quite similar streets and many times I take the wrong one. On the fence next to the old family house that no longer exists I find this - a broken clock. Pink. I don’t know about you but I don’t like clocks that have stopped working. Bad omen. I did not take the clock as it might have belonged to some kid on the street, not to mention I cannot stand ticking clocks.
I puzzled for a long time over the meaning of this find. What is the Universe trying to tell me? My hour of what exactly? Something about time passing?
In the end I settled on a Romanian saying. When someone is going through a rough time and there’s nothing they can do about it, you can always recommend them “patience and tobacco”. Keep calm. This too shall pass.
This is my little story. What about you? Do you believe in signs from beyond? What otherworldly messages have you received?
