Day 1 Manifesting Destiny
SYNOPSIS: ARRIVAL IN BEIRUT - WHERE AM I?I am typing this from the balcony of the 6th floor of a Beirut apartment which I saw several months ago on Craigslist! Craigslist international - red flag! It's a scam! You don't know who you are dealing with! Watch out! Even the Craigslist managers put a warning note on their site to that affect.What happened to trust and good old instinct? I have been burned time and again by trusting just about anyone to be honest and well-meaning. But no matter how many times I was wrong, I have not yet thrown trust over board; but more so: instinct. If we would just listen to it more often.When I saw that picture on Craigslist of a mattress propped up on wooden blocks, a simple room with a night stand, a bath and a small balcony overlooking "the ocean" (well it's more like a bus junk yard and industry with a bit of water peeking through in the distance) - something beckoned to me: That's where you need to be when you are in Beirut. Not some fancy hotel, not some cheap hotel. But right there. So I replied. To make a long story short: First I could not afford this place ($45 per night does not seem that much, but it was blowing my budget), then it was taken, then I got funding, then it became available again - destiny! It's meant to be. I just have to go with the flow and follow the signs. This is Ganesh hard at work for me. Thanks, Ganesh.And now I am here. Exactly in that room. But what is incredible - I did not know anything about the host. Not even if I was dealing with male or female, one or more people, etc. My host Setareh is a young female Iranian. An artist, who now lives in Beirut. And when I saw a German book on her table, it turned out that she grew up in Germany and speaks flawless German! I think she was as surprised to find a German art historian flying into her world as I was to find myself at the home of a young Iranian/Lebanese artist. If there is not a bigger plan behind all of this then I don't know.Obviously, I made it to Beirut. But who wants to hear about boring flight details. And since I am dead tired now, I will talk about my first night out tomorrow. I have internet for the next two weeks! Yippee! You will hear from me. Good night.