A few weeks ago, my husband and I traveled to a family member’s wedding in Pensacola, Florida. Before we left, my mother gave me a copy of The Secret to read on the plane. My husband and I were flying from DC to Pensacola with a 40-minute layover in Atlanta. Our flight was delayed an hour. I went to the Air Tran desk and was informed that we’d “probably” make our connection, since a lot of flights were delayed out of Atlanta. Unfortunately, we were on the last connecting flight to Pensacola. I sat down in the terminal and stressed for the next hour or so. When we finally boarded the plane, I opened my book and began my journey into the power of positive thinking.

I finished the majority of the book on the first leg of our trip. By the time we touched down in Atlanta, I had no doubt that we, and our luggage, would make the connection. When we landed at 9:30, I called the toll-free number to check our flight status. The recording said that our departing flight was now scheduled to leave at 9:33. No problem. All I had to do is believe that we’d make our connection and my wish would be granted. When we got off the plane, at gate C16, an Air Tran employee was in the terminal directing all of us frantic travelers to our connections. When I told her we were flying to Pensacola, she said, “Gate C1, RUN!” We took off our flip flops, sprinted to the gate, and boarded the plane. They closed the gate behind us and we took off. My husband was trying to figure out what we were going to do without our checked luggage, but I was confident that our suitcase was on the plane. We landed in Pensacola and walked to baggage claim. Our suitcase was the fifth bag off the belt.

The following day, my in-laws called with some scary news. My father in-law had an emergency appendectomy 3 days earlier. That morning, the surgeon told my in-laws that he was 90% sure that my father-in-law’s appendix was cancerous. Pretty crazy, since the incidence of cancer of the appendix is somewhere around 0.12 cases per 1,000,000 people per year. I made the decision to only think positive thoughts about this. After all, this cancer is so rare that there’s no way he could have it. The doctor had to be mistaken. We got a call a few hours later that the pathologist determined that there was a slight malignancy, but since his appendix had already been removed, there was about a 0% chance it had spread elsewhere in the abdomen. Pretty darn amazing.

Wait, there’s more. I borrowed the DVD version of The Secret from a friend. I had it with me at a conference in Mississippi and decided to watch it on my laptop on the way home. I was at the section of the DVD that talks about how to visualize what you want to make it happen. Rhonda says to start with something small, like a cup of coffee. I didn’t want a cup of coffee, but I wanted to brush my teeth or chew a piece of gum. I also needed a pen. In Charlotte, I only had a 35-minute layover and $1 in my wallet. But I was confident that, through the power of positive thinking, I would have no problem freshening my breath, obtaining a pen, and boarding my connecting flight on the other side of the airport.

I got off the airplane and went into the first restroom I saw, fully convinced that a random stranger would offer me a piece of gum en route. Inside the restroom, there was a table set up with mouthwash, mints, gum, and various other amenities for weary travelers. Have you ever seen that at an airport? Neither have I. I took the mouthwash and a mint and decided to put my last dollar in the tip jar. I was that sure that I wouldn’t need the dollar. I walked to the sink and put my bag on the counter. My bag opened slightly and I caught a glimpse of a pen right on top. I’m not quite sure where it came from. Maybe it was a giveaway at the conference. (The Twilight Zone theme played in the background.)

I’ve moved beyond visualizing small stuff like flight connections, mouthwash, and pens. I’ve printed out some pictures of my new brownstone in the city, lakefront home, and hybrid Altima. My brownstone has huge windows with a wonderful view, exposed brick walls, and a winding staircase that leads to my bathroom/spa retreat. In my lakefront home, I have a forever pool. I decided to go for a less pretentious car. Though, I probably won’t fight the universe if it sees fit to give me a Jaguar.

I’m so happy my mother gave me this book!