Is a miracle a life altering event that fundamentally changes who you are? Is it divine intervention? Comedian Kyle Kinane says that a miracle is "life showing you that it can still surprise you" and I am inclined to agree with the comedian. A miracle does not have to be a transcending incident that makes headlines on the news. Miracles can be small, individual incidents that make you think. For example, last week I rode my bike to my friend’s dorm and left it outside while I went in to celebrate the end of the week. When I came back out to ride it back to my room, the bike was not where I left it. I walked around campus for about a half an hour with no luck; anticipating the worst, I posted to Facebook about it and sure enough, the next morning it was outside the dorm I had left it at the previous night. That whole situation made me think, and I realized that there was more than one miracle that came from all of this.

Firstly there is a strong possibility that if I had gone to any other school, my bike would be gone forever; however, I don’t. I go to Colby-Sawyer College otherwise called Colby-Swagger, the best school east of the Mississippi. More and More I am realizing that I go to a school full of caring, compassionate and kind human beings who have created the coolest community in our little slice of paradise. It could have been so easy to take the bike and sell it, or scrap it. Instead, whoever borrowed it returned it to where they found it and it was in the same condition I left it in. This made me realize how much I love this school, and how much I love everyone who goes to Colby-Sawyer College.

Secondly, this whole ordeal showed me the benefits of being positive, and that attitude is everything. I could have so easily lashed out in anger or sat around and let my missing bike get the best of me, but what’s the point in that? The only thing anger or sadness would have done is bring unwanted and unneeded stress into my life. My mom always used to tell me to be patient when I lost something because it will always pop up eventually, and let me tell you something about my mother:

Jane Flaherty is always right.

So instead of lashing out or being sad, I took my mother’s advice and I let the situation play out and in the end it all worked out.

So what does all of this mean? How is losing my bike a miracle? Why did I bring up my mother? Sometimes the most important messages or lessons life has for you are wrapped up in subtle events, and it is up to you to look deeper into your day to find these important bits of information. I thought I lost my bike, but instead it was just life shedding some light on where I am on my long strange journey. So when something odd happens to you, ask yourself: What is life trying to tell me?