The Universe is Unfolding by Susan Van Kirk

“Desiderata,” a 1927 poem by Max Ehrmann, has a famous line that is often quoted: “The universe is unfolding as it should.” I suppose this means that there is a natural order to life and you can trust the process even though sometimes you might not understand where it’s headed. I see what he meant.

When my younger son went to college, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life. He tried diverse courses of study. As it turned out, he decided to major in marketing at a university known for its excellent business department. It was perfect. He has the personality to do well in that field, and he likes to help people. I always found it amazing that he fell into exactly the profession that fit his life.

My younger son and I are both Libras according to Zodiac astrology, people born between September 23 and October 23. While I have a thin understanding of the Zodiac, I know just enough to be dangerous when it comes to being a Libra. Libras are represented by the scales of justice, and we like to fix things that aren’t fair or right. We value the people in our lives and are natural-born peacemakers. We avoid conflict “like the plague” and try to listen to all perspectives. And while we may be indecisive at times, we usually return to our values when it comes to making decisions. Those, of course, are vague descriptions someone wrote, but they seem appropriate when I look in the rearview window of my life.

I can see so many of those Libran traits in roles I ended up playing that were not of my choosing. While I loved my thirty-five years of high school teaching, I hadn’t planned to be in charge of a six-person department, composed of highly different personalities over many years and personnel turnovers. I learned about how to be a peacemaker, valuing everyone’s opinions, and trying to be fair and just. I hadn’t asked for that job, but I learned a great deal about keeping the peace and making decisions in a job I fell into.

After my teaching life ended, I joined the Guppies, the online chapter of Sisters in Crime. I worked on their board for three years where it was gratifying to help people as the membership chair. Then I was
asked to fill in a one-year term as president. Again, working with eleven personalities and people who were highly professional, I learned so much about guiding a huge on-line group of writers. I ran for a two-year term after that, feeling that I might still have something to offer. Connie Berry succeeded me in that job, and I’m sure she’ll tell you that it was gratifying and sometimes difficult. But relying on our values, we both felt good about helping writers, especially newbies.

Six years ago, I volunteered to be on the board of the local art center. I’m not an artist like a painter, but as a writer I share many creative elements with artists in other fields. I’m sure you know that 501-c non-profits are wonderful in enriching lives but poor in budgets. My years on the board taught me about the arts and stretching a dollar. I became board president. Then, when our director left for another job, I took over as president and director until we found a new director. I was the logical person because I was retired, knew everyone in town since I’d taught them all, and I asked many questions (a trait that drives my children crazy.) Again, that Libra sense of listening to all the viewpoints and trying to solve problems came to the forefront. Luckily, we found a new director six months in—a former student of mine, of course. I don’t believe she’s a Libra, but she sure is great at running an art center.

At the end of this year, my term on the board is over, but I’m sure I’ll volunteer to help in smaller ways. That’s what Libras do.

I never would have anticipated any of these jobs I’ve had, but they seem to have fallen into my lap because “the universe is unfolding as it should.” Every one of these jobs stretched my mind and added to my knowledge. We just need to trust the process, right?

Ever thought about volunteering? Did you learn a great deal about yourself in the process?