The Power of Unexpected Moments and Their Significance in Our Lives.

On my father’s desk, taped to the back of one of those large flat out dated calendar holders, with faux leather on the sides and the paper printed months long gone, was a square piece of paper. 

I only found it when decommissioning the family home last month.

I was tossing out hundreds of boxes, envelopes, and files, and when I finally got down to the desktop, the calendar holder was of no future use, so I tossed it into the recycling box, but it landed upside down. 

That's when I saw the hidden gem. 

The tape holding it in place was yellowed and cracked, and I had to remove it gingerly for fear of ripping it. Typed and highlighted it says:

Be Impeccable with your word

Don’t take anything personally

Don’t make assumptions

Always do my best

These words, hidden from view, were the sentiments my departed dad tried to live by. 

Typed years ago and purposely saved, but out of sight, it was miraculous I even spied it. I love its physical imperfections juxtaposed with the message of attaining perfection. 

As a Wabi woman, this piece of paper is more special than any other item, left from an entire four-bedroom home that housed our family history. 

I found it after days of emotionally draining work, and it left me filled again with the same gratitude and determination that my Dad gave life. It helped me persevere and finish the difficult job.

It was a Hidden Gem. 

Hidden Gems arrive, sometimes with perfect timing and often quite unexpectedly.

Sometimes, hidden gems appear when you expect one thing, and another suddenly arrives.

Some Hidden gems are big, bright, and can't be missed.

Others are shrouded and might not be recognized until many years have passed. 

Hidden Gems give us hope. They often give us wonder. Hidden Gems can heal.  As I write this, I think they are tiny pure nodes of light. Imperfectly beautiful, exposing new insight in unfamiliar and unexpected ways. 

I am secretly tucking hidden gems, seeded by me, for others to find in due course.  

Now, in this chapter of life, I tend to look hard for the hidden gems, as I believe they truly hold significance. 

Perhaps, they were seeded by someone else years ago for us to discover now, like the note my Dad left for me to find. Hidden Gems are unexpected, arriving out of nowhere, and more often than not, produce an Ahh-Hah moment. 

At this juncture in our life, Hidden Gems often help connect the dots, like a missing piece of the puzzle, as we attempt to weather the storms or take the fork in the road. 

Yet hidden gems are not always barn burners.   Sometimes they are the complete opposite. They are just playful. They are meant to be discovered and garner a smile or an "ohhh". Like, turning to pull the drapes and suddenly seeing a double rainbow over the lake after a summer thunderstorm. 

When you look back a second later,  it's gone. It was there just for you to see for that moment, and then it's over. Impermanence. 

Or, in between the bills, and junk mail,  a lovely handwritten, unexpected postcard from my best friend. I take a moment to appreciate how our friendship has changed and matured, taking on autumn colours and contrasts as we have grown older together.

 It will never be finished, our friendship, or ever perfect, and I find comfort in that wabi sabi-ness.

Hidden gems are sprinkled like clues on a giant treasure map. 

These gems, big and small, provide excitement. It's like we are following a map drawn just for us. What hidden gems will you unearth today that you will treasure, hold dear, find significance in, prize, revere, and cherish?