Does Everything Happen for a Reason?

Over the past 10 years or so, I've become a big believer in the idea that for the most part, things happen for a reason. Not everything--I know I don't want to go that far--but many things, especially the things that determine our life journey, where we go, and what we do. 

In my own life, there have been many legs of my journey that I can only guess happened so that I would end up where I am today:

• I got hurt running and although I felt like it was the end of the world, it changed my life. Because my Dr. said I could do nothing but swim or do yoga, and I lived in NYC at the time, I tried yoga. Now I'm a teacher and obvs, my life has been changed forever. 
  
• Despite trying to get a job in NYC upon graduation from Law School, Ben got a job in DC, instead. Heartbroken to leave Manhattan, I moved to DC with him, hoping that things would work out there. Three days after moving I walked into Tranquil Space, and because of what I learned at that studio and the opportunities + inspiration provided to me there, I was able to transition out of my day job and eventually, work for myself. 
• By attending Tranquil Space I met the studio owner, Kimberly Wilson, who became my mentor and inspired me to start a blog. 3.5 years later and this blog means more to me than I ever imagined it could. 
• Last summer, Ben got his "dream job" on the Cape. It didn't pay much, but we crossed our fingers and hoped that I would find enough opportunity here to make things work for us. Despite my sadness over leaving my life in DC and my fear that there would be nothing for me on the Cape, we're now thriving here and live in a place that we both LOVE--and where we plan on putting down roots and staying forever. So scary to say that, but it's the truth. 
  
  

I could go on and on, but those are a few examples of happenings that have changed the course of my life.

And there are little examples of things happening for a reason, too, that take place on a smaller scale in our everyday lives. For example, three weeks ago (remember my "tough week?"), this happened:

Ben was out in the front yard playing ball with Sayde, as always. I think I've mentioned it before, but Sayde has some aggression issues when it comes to other dogs, and her issues are always worse when we're on our turf, aka "her territory."

As Ben was throwing the ball for her, a woman started walking down our street with her dog. Sayde started barking uncontrollably at them as they approached, and as Ben tried to get her under control, she launched her 11-pound body over our fence (we didn't know she could do this!) and attacked the dog. Needless to say, the dog's owner and Ben were freaking out.

Eventually, Ben got Sayde under control and threw her into the house. Luckily, her tiny little mouth and tiny little teeth didn't even break the other dog's skin, but everyone was pretty shaken up. Sayde The Attack Dog? No thanks. 

The next day, I was working on the couch, still in my PJs (whoops), and the police showed up. The neighbor had called the police on Sayde, despite her assurances that things were fine the night before. Sigh.

Although it was scary to have the police on our front step, the Officer was nice about it and recommended a trainer that we should call who works with "aggressive dogs."

As you can imagine, all of this was really upsetting. Sayde is basically our child and having a problem child is not easy. What's even worse is that it felt really scary--if Sayde attacked the wrong dog, she could be killed. If Sayde really hurt a dog, she could be put down by the State. 

All of this is a long way of saying that I think these things happen for a reason. Three weeks and 11 private training sessions with the Police Dog trainer later, and Sayde is a different dog. She still has a ways to go, but much of her aggression and barking is under control. We now know how to control her when we come across other dogs while we're out walking--she's learning that she doesn't have to protect us and we're learning how to tell her that. 

It's amazing. 

But we never would have learned ANY of this if Sayde hadn't attacked that dog in the first place, and if that woman hadn't called the police, who in turn, recommended this trainer (we never would have found him, as he doesn't usually work with pets!). 

So, this recent incident has again bolstered my opinion that many things happen for a reason, and that often, when it's hard to see why something negative is happening, if you can just hold on, something good might come out of it. Or you'll learn something or grow in some way while dealing with it.  

You can call it whatever you want--Karma, the Universe, God's plan, or something else entirely--but it can be pretty magical when you look at life in this way. 

However, I think it's important to note that I have a hard time saying that great traumas or tragedies or losses happen for a reason. Maybe they do, maybe they don't, but it doesn't feel right to use this statement as an answer for everything. And I often have a problem with people using it in a halfhearted, cover-up-your-feelings sort of way, too.

Do I think murder and rape happen for a reason? No, I don't. Do I think genocide or school shootings happen for a reason? No. Do I know why these things happen? Of course not. 

So yes, there are holes in my belief in this idea, but I'm okay with that.

Maybe it isn't logical, maybe it doesn't fit in with any sort of system, and I'm okay with that, too. I prefer to look at the sunny side of life--to examine how things change us and where life takes us--but I guess if you've been reading this blog for a while, you probably already knew that ;)

What do you think? Are there examples--on a small or large scale--of things seeming to happen for a reason in your life? I think it's worth thinking about...