This Book Changed my Life
The synchronicity that pushed me to write again.
It was the unexpected discovery of a book that inspired me to begin writing again. I was out for a walk in my neighborhood searching the little free libraries for any treasures. I have never had any luck with these cute little book houses. They seem to be a dumping ground for people’s most undesired books, but on this particular walk I was about to be surprised. Inside this library was a copy of “A Place in the Woods” by Helen Hoover complete with illustrations by her husband Adrian Hoover. Now if you’re like me you’d never heard of the Hoovers. But I knew, picking up that paperback, that I was meant to find out.
There is a distinct feeling one gets when finding a book they are meant to read. For all you bookworms out there you know what I’m referencing. The feeling becomes stronger when you start reading and are immediately drawn into the story. That was what happened with “A Place in the Woods.” Helen and Adrian Hoover were a married, career couple from Chicago who moved to upstate Minnesota in the 1950’s to live out their dream of living in the wild. They became well known for Helen’s nature writings and Adrian’s illustrations of her writing. “A Place in the Woods” is Helen’s recounting of their move to the forest and the struggles they faced as they settled there.
Despite the Hoovers living a world apart from me, both died before I was even born, their simple story is deeply familiar. I realized instantly that Helen was a kindred spirit. Their desire to live in the forest, to escape the city and their corporate world is a fervent dream of young people today, including myself. Their struggles in the first months with finances, the environment, and self reliance feels relatable and inspiring. In order to survive financially they are driven to their creativity and resourcefulness. Helen turns to writing, Adrian to art, so they can live the dream of returning to nature.
Helen’s writing is easy, descriptive and engaging. She could be your best friend telling you all about her day. At the same time she feels like a guide reaching across time and space to offer her wisdom to young women like me. She doesn’t make any bold claims or offers any advice. Instead she tells her story simply. She imbues her writing with what she knows to be true.
There are many moments where I have found myself pausing to contemplate what I just read. One quote in particular stood out to me. The Hoovers had been in a terrible car accident. Their car was totaled, and they only had $83 in their bank account. Adrian had organized an artist job in Duluth that would have paid enough money for them to live comfortably for a few years but was unable to make it due to the car situation. Helen writes, “I know now that if Ade had decided to junk the damaged car, he’d have gone to town with the mailman and taken the bus to Duluth. He’d have been there on time and signed his contract. We’d have had an easy life and another car. And it is very possible that I should never have written anything except letters to my friends.”
This realization from Helen left me believing it was no coincidence I found her story. I have been on my own financial and creative journey and struggle. There has been a lot of fear wrapped up in some big decisions I have had to make in the last year and many moments where I have wondered am I doing the right thing? Reading this story and this particular quote turned that fear around. It was a message of encouragement from a friend that lived before me.
Many people do not believe that there is much or any meaning behind events like this. They chock it up to mere coincidence, a random event that we assign meaning to in order to give ourselves a sense of importance.
There is a concept in Jungian psychology called synchronicity. This term refers to events that have significance to the individual but have no readily apparent conducive connection. It differs from a coincidence in that the synchronicity is not considered random or meaningless. The idea of synchronicity often gets hijacked and applied frivolously to every aspect of life making the idea seem cheap or gimmicky. But we should not let that cheapness warp our view of what meaning can be gained from these apparently unconnected occurrences.
Upon the examination of our life, thoughts, dreams and the circumstances outside of our control we find that many such synchronicities exist. These seemingly random events that carry significant meaning and relevance to our situation in life cannot just be random. Which leads me to this question. Are synchronicities real? Or are they mere flukes of existence with no meaning?