PLAYFUL UNIVERSE

The Universe Is Smart and Cheeky and Smiles When We Invite It to Play

Put your wishes out there, and you may be happily surprised

Have you ever suspected the Universe is listening when you secretly wish for something or that the Universe likes a good laugh?

Queen of the Ocean

One summer, during a trip to Quadra Island in BC, Canada, my husband and I were on a small ferry trip to nearby Cortes Island. People had told us to look out for whales during the short crossing. We stood on deck, enjoying the salty breeze, eyes scanning the white tops, but no whales in sight. After a lovely day on the island, we caught the late afternoon boat back to Quadra.

Leaning on the railing in the sunshine, we looked for whales again, but still, no luck. “Right, that’s it — I’m going to summon those whales to the surface,” I announced. I held my arms out to the sides and said, “I — Oceanaris — Queen of the Deep — command you whales to rise up. One, two, three, up!” On the word “up,” I raised my arms theatrically to the sky.

Instantly — and to the joy and delight of everyone on board, a grey whale leapt out of the water. We saw the majestic animal suspended for an instant against a dazzling blue sky and shrieked with excitement as it turned and hit the water with a dramatic splash. Silently I thanked the Universe for being such a good sport and giving me this glorious moment.

Justin Beaver

Every day, my husband and I walk around a small lake near our home. In the lake, there’s a resident beaver. We were excited the first time we saw this lovely creature swimming. I took a picture with my phone and happened to notice the time was 8:30 pm.

One evening soon after, I took my two children to the lake to look for the beaver. Beavers are one of Canada’s national symbols, and the kids were excited as they’d never seen one before.

We walked to the park and sat by the lake for about 20 minutes watching the ducks and herons, but no beaver appeared. After a while, the kids got restless. “The beaver’s not coming out tonight, Mum,” they said, looking disappointed.

It was 8:28 pm, so I said, “Oh, he doesn’t come out until 8:30 pm exactly. We have to wait a couple more minutes.” Two minutes later, at precisely 8:30 pm, the beaver popped his head out of the water and started swimming across the lake towards us.

The kids looked at me in astonishment — like I was the animal whisperer, and we all laughed like crazy. Thank you, Universe, for this super fun moment!

A few years ago, I decided to name the beaver Justin — Justin Beaver. Whenever we see a group of people exclaiming at the sight of him and taking photos, we stop, and I tell them his name is Justin. Some get it, and others don’t. Either way, it makes us chuckle as we continue our walk.

On my birthday last year, my friend Anita sent me the card pictured here. When a friend gets your sense of humour, however ridiculous and sends you a card like this, you know you’ll be friends forever.

Proof that black cats are lucky

When my son Steven was about six years old, we were walking to the park one day, and a black cat crossed our path. Steven said, “Mum, black cats are unlucky, aren’t they?” He must’ve heard this from one of his friends at school.

I’ve always preferred to believe in good luck than back luck, so I said, “Oh no, Steven — black cats are extremely lucky. Something amazing will happen now the cat’s crossed our path. It may not be straight away, but just you wait and see.”

We carried on up the road, played in the park for a while and forgot about the cat. After an hour or so, we headed home for lunch. As we approached the house, I noticed a large brown package stuffed in our mailbox.

“Oooh, a package — I wonder who it’s for!” I said. Steven ran up the steps, pulled the package out of the mailbox and scrutinized it carefully. He looked at the words on it, and his eyes lit up in delight. “Mum, it’s got my name on it! It says, Steven!”

I looked at the package with a smile, and from the return address label, I could see it was a gift from my son’s grandmother. Once inside, Steven ripped open the package to find a basketball hoop — something high on his wish list.

“You see, Steven — black cats do bring good luck!” I said.

Thank you, Universe, AKA Nanny Mon — your timing could not have been more perfect!

Coincidences — or are they?

Sometimes we experience situations or coincidences that are so bizarre that the Universe can have only set them up. The chances of them happening otherwise are just too slim. While backpacking around Australia, I had one such coincidence and wrote about it in the story below.

None of us understands the mysterious cogs of the Universe and how they turn and connect to make things happen, so why not choose to believe it’s on our side and have a bit of fun? Put your dreams and wishes out there and see if the Universe comes out to play. You may be happily surprised.

© Gill McCulloch, August 2022

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