An old song sings out, "sign, sign, everywhere a sign."*

I’ve seen a plethora of books on signs lately, books showing how the universe sends us messages to connect us with those on the other side or signs to guide us forward toward our best-for-us human journey.

In my last missive, I wrote of Laura Lynn Jackson’s book, "Guided," which is one such book. (I still haven’t finished it.) Another of her books is called "Signs." Tara Swart wrote "The Signs" (another book I haven’t finished reading). There seem to be many more. It’s as if the universe is sending out the same message through multiple voices to make sure it's known. Your angels, guides, and universal love spirits want to send you comfort and to let you know your aches of the heart have been heard. I believe they want to show you the way to healing and to creating a better life. Just follow the signs!

Of late, I’ve felt like I’ve been showered with signs myself. I'd been feeling my way around a dark room when suddenly a door of light opened. This is the way! Yet, when I look through the doorway, all I can see is an illuminated cloud. I can't seem to see where I am going—and I think that first step may be a huge drop off! (I believe there is a scene in movie, "Men in Black II," like that.) Having a sign would be a great asset right now.

In the past, I’d easily visualized my coming future. Unlike coming to a crossroads where I would need to choose one path over another, instead, it's as if I am being asked to contribute to what this coming pathway is to be. (How cool is that!?) I’m being guided to fill in the blanks of what brings me joy, what ignites my passions, and what touches my heart. I feel certain this applies to you as well! What directions do you want to take in 2026? What will inspire you? What will get you out of bed in the morning?

Recently, I had been listening to Jos Dispenza meditations to assist with that. My favorite is "Empowering the Power Within"** In it, he puts forth the question, "What do you want to be?" During which, I state clearly and precisely what that is, and yet, when I go back to the meditation again, that answer changes. . . perhaps evolves. . .  Think of it as a parent asking their child a question, which she questions back, unsure, and changing the answer until it feels—dare I say acceptable? Apparently, she is thinking she is expected to answer a particular way, even if that’s not the truest answer of the heart. Yes, I am guilty of that!

It's very easy to get caught up in the "shoulds" or the expected. I would think, "Oh, I have to do this or that if I want to succeed." And that is wrong thinking according to the signs. One must first start with the calling of the heart. Or, as the 1989 Marsha Sinetar book title claims, "Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow." (No, I haven't read that one either! I think the title says it all!)

Back in 2016, I spent much of my summer sitting, doing nothing, going almost nowhere, healing, and recuperating from what had recently been diagnosed as "anxiety." Having nothing better to do, I delved into Barbara Sher’s book, "Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want" (Let me highlight the WISH part of this book’s title (W-I-S-H) because I find when I mention it to others, they seem to think I've said something else. This may be why Sher wrote similar books with more direct titles, such as "I Could Do Anything," and "It’s Only Too Late if You Don’t Start Now.")

In "Wishcraft," Barbara leads the reader through a series of elaborate written exercises, guiding the participant to receive their wishful dream life. I filled an entire notebook diligently working through these exercises to my best ability. These began with imagining one’s perfect day. However, when I got to the end, where Barbara required the participant to host a party with friends and relatives—individuals who were to become instrumental in helping achieve said wish—my reach for said dream stopped cold. Much of my family were deceased, and many of my friends were spread all across the country. Pre-COVID, Zoom parties had yet to become a popular meeting place, so... Then, I went from nursing anxiety into a breast cancer diagnosis, which derailed everything, at least for a time. Not unexpectedly, what I thought I wanted didn’t come to pass.

I know that as part of that imagined dream day, I would spend quiet mornings writing, then some time for crafts, time for clients, and, at day’s end, a large, long table where friends and family gathered to share food. In it, my husband was always heading off to play golf, or returning from same. I’d included this part since golf had been his most beloved activity for most of our married life. How could I ever guess that one day he’d come home from the course to announce he was giving up the game? It was no longer fun, he declared, due to suffering from back pain complicated by a bad case of Shingles. Always having been competitive, and not being able to stand up to his own expectations, he put down his clubs and hasn’t picked them back up for over two years. Another part of my imagined perfect day had just crumbled.

This, and other parts of my "wish," seem to flake off and fall away like leaves falling from a tree in late fall. Or, if you remember the old Cinderella stories, my idea of a perfect day had become shredded like her dress after the evil step-sisters pulled off all the beads and lace the mice had brought to decorate it. Take a minute to imagine what that must have felt like to her—the disappointment, the futility, the failure to achieve what she had worked so hard to achieve. I think almost all of us have felt that at some point. Why else would Cinderella be such an iconic image? 

I don’t have a fairy godmother to fix my tatters, but I do have signs—and these signs, their guidance, are available to everyone. They show up everywhere when you are open to them. They can come from anywhere or anyone. This part of receiving a sign is harder to explain. They are intuitive nudges that spark an inner "aha," or that trigger a previous memory or feeling that causes a turn of the head or a spark in the heart. It's something others may totally ignore or think of as benign, yet to you, it gives you pause. It stands out as significant somehow. (My favorite movie, "Dragonfly" with Kevin Costner, demonstrates this perfectly.) 

This past week, those messages for me have emanated from YouTube videos. (Sounds crazy, I know.) In one, a car enthusiast who documents muscle car barn finds pulled a rare, potentially valuable, 1969 Camaro Pace Car from an old, falling-down shed. While the song "Born Ready" (Zayde Wolf) played in the background, he power-washed forty-five years of dust and grime from the car and showed the gem hiding beneath all that dirt. There are sure times when I feel like that car. Aged, forgotten, missing parts. The message visualized for me the idea to pick myself up, brush myself off, and, sure, I may be a little older, a little worse for the wear, a few dings. . . Perfect? Heck no! But, loud and clear, I got the message. I'm born ready, ready to be me to the fullest and highest extent possible. I'm still a classic with potential! 

The second (and third) videos talked about success. In one case, the influencer claimed, (paraphrased) I’m not here for the number of views or even the money, I came here to educate, to inspire, and to uplift those watching. (Yeah, I get that.) The same day, a card reading said, "Don't focus on the trappings of success, focus on your gifts and passions."

Showing how signs echo again and again until you "get it," another videoer explained how expectations from friends and family had kept him doubting what he should be doing. They questioned him with a phrase my father had been known to chirp, "Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach." (Yeah, but where would we be without the teachers?)

This third YouTuber, a furniture maker, enjoyed coming up with new ideas and innovative designs rather than manufacturing cloned cabinets or being stuck in a rut created from one popular piece. He made it clear that he needed to rethink what success meant to him (the message I also needed to hear), and to step outside what others’ expectations were. Just like that little inner child I mentioned earlier (the one guessing what the right answer was supposed to be), he realized that it was far more valuable to him to be able to do what he loved—in his own way—more than he wanted to become trapped in something boring, rote, and repetitive manufacturing cycle.

Which is why a quote from the mystery series, "Silent Witness," popped out to me as significant. One of the characters said:

"I don’t know what your expectations of me are, Jack, but I’d like to hazard this guess.
I think we are both very similar. I think we both care deeply about our work. . .
and like to do it in our own eccentric ways because our job is to deal with death.
It’s our way of reminding ourselves that we are still alive. (Emphasis mine.)

When you open yourself to signs, and they start showing you the way, that huge drop-off I saw in the open doorway suddenly feels more like a lighted pathway of stepping stones.

Do what you love. They are showing you (and me) the way. Don't listen to the "you should" naysayers. block out the internal doubts. Stop thinking about what you lack (like that barn-find, forgotten car, and just take what you have and start moving forward.

The truth is, there is no perfect day. Or more specifically, while we can have a day here and there that feels perfect, it’s unlikely to expect every day to be perfect. Rather, I think our lives are made up of varied experiences where some days feel great, some not so great, and others are downright rotten. But what if you could contribute to what those perfect days could be like? What if you first must identify what you love in your life, what you are passionate about, what you want more of, how you want to feel, and then could just follow the signs and intuitive inner guidance you are given to receive that?

Signs are everywhere if you’re open to them. They show up as subtle whispers from lines of music, words that seem to stand out in books and newspapers, billboards that may shout or point, and so many, many more ways. Are you open to them?

Wishing you the happiest of holidays and blessings for many perfect days in 2026

* Five Man Electric Band
**Available on his website.
Signs art by Mary Engelbreit from her 2025 calendar