As always life shows you the way. I do have a strong belief in that. Some people struggle with it, because sometimes life shows us a way that we don’t want to go. But my belief is strong now: ‘someone else is doing the driving’, to quote the late great M Scott Peck.
Serendipity is my favourite word, and I have written about it in some of my previous posts , really it is associated with fortuitous events but I am not going to take its literal meaning today, I am going to look at it in a different way:
Our French friends are very ‘handy’, it is clear that they can turn their hands to most anything and that includes cars. In fact one of them was a mechanic before he retired. RD suggested that he ask them about replacing the tyres (pneau in French) on our van, and about the rattle we have had for the best part of this year. RD had already asked someone else (an English person) who had said it was the brake discs because the pads needed replacing. Asking our French friends was a learning curve as they looked at RD as if he were mad because he was asking about a cameon (van) and they were not aware we had a van. So a conversation ensued about RD having a van and where was it! It transpires that small vans such as ours are classed as cars over here, no wonder people have been looking at us like weirdoes when we tell them we have a van!
As most of you know money is tight and at this time of year especially; so RD just thought they may suggest something for January. But no! Immediately they were there to help, there is no waiting over here, and Saturday morning RD was at Cheeky’s (our nickname we use for him) with the van being inspected. Now this is where serendipity stepped in:
The rattling noise from the van, that we have been driving all over north west France in, was in fact a loose screw on the drive shaft! At any moment it could have come away as we merried along the winding roads of France, and killed us! Now some would see that as bad luck not good. It depends on how you look at things I suppose, I believe serendipity stepped in: The French took over, made us take the van to Cheeky’s house and found the real culprit.
But it didn’t end there our tyres were in fact dangerous and this morning RD is in Mayenne, with the assistance of cheeky, sorting out the tyres. No we cannot afford them, but we cannot afford to wait either; our French friends have said they need to be done NOW and at one point on Saturday they weren’t going to let RD take the van home. When RD came home he was worried about our budget, but we both looked at each other and said ‘That’s life showing us the way!’
Now RD has called to say that the tyres and break pads have been done, and Cheeky will not take any payment for the work. He has told RD No: because we are their friends. Now that is life showing us the way.
You just have to listen, even when you don’t want to hear. What we need will come to us. I believe.
Rosie
Rosie’sFrenchAdventuresandIrish Shenanigans.com 
Absolutely agree with you Rosie. Things always happen for a reason, and if a solution is needed, it happens at the time it is meant to happen. I’ve touched on the subject of destiny and fate with Kev (Biscuit Factory) Your French friends were meant to come to the rescue. 😊 By the way, glad the van is safe now!!
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Thanks John, yes I am picking up we are all looking at life in the same way, a good way. I wish I had done it when I was younger ❤️
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The ‘someone else is doing the driving’ captures it really well Moisy. I’ve felt that a few times recently.John’s (Astijake) posts give some good flavours of how it hangs together. We have somehow got through eight months here without sufficient monthly money. Miraculous help from elsewhere, which wasn’t asked for! Difficult for the logical mind to wrap itself around. You must be mega-relieved that the van is sorted out. The French seem to be into the idea of community in ways that Brits are not? ❤️
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That is so true my friend. In just the last 2 months where would we have been? The tree would have fell down on the barn, we wouldn’t have a toilet, we wouldn’t have a van. The English out here are definitely not like the French, most won’t do a thing for each other without money being involved. I refuse to be sucked in to that crap. We know a lady, she was a client, but now she is a friend. Her husband had a stroke and is in a home, and she is so lonely. She calls a spade a spade and has put a fair few noses out of joint over here, but on Saturday we are going to see her, with some chocolates and some dog treats for Christmas. It will be the company that is the greatest gift, because people walk past her door and never knock to say hello. We are truly learning so much out here. I read John’s posts, I just said to RD that life is strange how John is from East London, you are from Essex, we are from Essex and yet we have radiated towards one another, and all seem to be looking at life in the same way. Life showing us the way again. ❤️
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I also wanted to say that yes you have survived the last eight months, because you had the belief that what you needed would come your way. In the same way as the jobs you applied for did not, because life is trying to get you to follow the right path, not take a soul destroying job. One of the biggest messages from the Tao, for me, was not to plan ahead all the time because plans NEVER work out how we plan them. If we let go and just imagine the gaps in the trees along the lane, where opportunities came come through because we are not holding on too tight and just focusing on getting to the end of the road, It is hard to do sometimes but always provies itself to be true over and over again.
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What an uplifting story; what great friends! -So glad the van is fixed. Marty
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