Finally, after getting no answer at the security gate in front of Clinica Dinamarca, I called on my cell phone. A petite Tica (Costa Rican woman) emerged from a building at the end of the block and waved me towards her. As is often the case here in Costa Rica – I find my way through mis steps, missed directions and mis spellings – but often there is a friendly Tico or Tica around who puts me back on course.
I followed her into a doorway and office for my hearing test appointment. I already knew my hearing had deteriorated drastically – now deaf in my right ear and having more and more difficulty with my left. I thought that the very least I could do would be to find out how bad it was and whether a hearing aid could help. And of course – how much it would cost.
The audiologist was a charming young man named Aaron, who invited me into his office area and gave me the hearing test. He told me that it was free since I was a senior and it was Wednesday. So far so good. After peering into both ears he tested my hearing as I responded to sounds I heard through the ear phone in the soundproof booth. At the end of the exam he affirmed what I already suspected. My right ear was very nearly deaf; my left with only a minimal range of hearing near the lower frequency pitches.
Then he showed me what was available through the Dinamarca hearing clinic – right here in San Isidro where I live. The cost range for one hearing aid for my left ear varied with the quality I could receive – from Unique 220 at 855,000 colones ($1,558) to Unique 440 at 2,000,000 colones ($3,640). I told him I’d think about it.
I didn’t have the money. At home I sat at my desk with my calculator. Looking at the Unique 330 price in dollars – about $2,713.00 – I would still have to use a credit card. As I often do concerning financial issues, I called my son, Tim who simply said, “Mom – I understand, but I hope you don’t use your credit card. It’ll be so hard for you to repay.”
So I went about the next few days just wondering what to do – or not do. Did I really need to hear better? As an artist and a writer I relied most on my imagination, visual perception and interior voices. Sure, it was difficult to be in groups or to hear anyone with a high pitched voice – but I could still enjoy one on one conversations and small outdoor gatherings. One night as I drifted off to sleep I thought that perhaps not hearing better was just exactly what I needed.
In the morning I sat down at my computer to check my emails and was surprised to see four PayPal email notices of payments received overnight. Each was for $29.95 – for an eBook I offered only through my website.
I had written the book, ‘The Watercolor Artist’s Guide to Exceptional Color’ during the last of my New Mexico years and it was published by Walter Foster in 2007. At that time I signed away all rights, as is often the only way with a first book being championed and created by an illustrated book publisher. It received much attention and is still rated with 5 stars on amazon.com with 62 reviews. The publisher republished twice and then decided to use it as a template for other books with differing media – oil, pastel, etc. I tried unsuccessfully to obtain the rights to publish on my own and then decided to just have the pages photographed and offer it as an ebook only through my website. I priced it at $29.95. I knew that there was a chance the publisher that owned the rights would ask me to take it down – and I would comply.
Visit Amazon to purchase my book online!
I studied the four people who ordered my book online. They were from four different countries and my first thought was that PayPal had made an error. Still, I dutifully emailed each person the link and asked how they had heard about my book. I knew that most never found it. In fact I had only sold four copies in the last year.
When eight more orders came in during the next night, I was really surprised. And more kept coming in. To each I sent a thank you and the link. And I kept wondering. Finally a few told me that there was a woman architect/artist in Australia with a huge blog – and she had raved about my book.
I sold 70 in October; and 25 more by November 11, the day of my next appointment with Aaron at Clinica Dinamarka. At $28.48/ebook I had received a total of $2705.60. Sitting in his office I told him I wanted to get the Unique 330 model and asked how much it cost in dollars. Aaron checked the exchange rate on his computer and told me that the 1,500,000 colones equivalent was $2,731.64. I gulped realizing that I was just about $26 short – or one more book.
That night I talked with Tim whose only reply was, ‘Mom, I think the Universe wants you to hear.”
And that night, November 12 the last order for the book came in. I had just a couple of dollars more than I needed.
So what is this about?
Synchronicity. Not coincidence, serendipity or just plain luck. I received what I needed – almost to the dollar – from an unexpected source shortly after I understood I needed it.
You can read more about Synchronicity by Googling it or reading Chapter 23 in my book, ‘A Woman Awakens: Life, AfterLife’ or by understanding more about the Law of Attraction in various philosophical and religious traditions.
From Chapter 23, A Woman Awakens: Life, AfterLife, Jan Hart 2016. Available through amazon.com
“Of course, each account could be—and often was—viewed as coincidental; wishful thinking. But there exists a higher form of coincidence or serendipity that is called synchronicity.
Synchronicity is the term Carl Jung invented to describe an event more meaningful than coincidence—events that are meaningfully related. Jung came to explain synchronicity though his understanding of the ‘collective unconscious’. Later, quantum physicists following David Bohm would consider synchronicity and its link to energetic vibration.
“Synchronicity is an ever present reality for those who have eyes to see.”
Carl Jung (1875 – 1961)
