Synchronicity is like a wink and a grin from the Universe. I love it! When coincidence calls I am reminded of the BIG picture. Feelings of being connected wrap my heart with hope and lift my soul with wonder. While checking in at my computer this morning, “shadow” crossed my screen 3 times. First there was the “Body Shadows” post and video on the Creative Everyday Blog. Then I glanced at an article in “Livingston Our Town” while heating up a cup of tea and learned about Montana Shadow Maker’s ranch and charity work with miniature horses so I decided to visit their channel on YouTube. The final shadow word was connected to an indigenous singer’s name as she chanted about winter - pretty fitting for a winter wonderland morning with a foot of fresh snow and temps below zero.
Years ago when I spent my summer alone in the backcountry of Montana as a Wilderness Ranger, my shadow was a constant companion. Weeks went by without so much as a glance in a mirror but I do remember being shocked by my shadow once when I dropped my pack and climbed a ridge to a glacier mountain lake. My shadow stretched before me – long , lean and exceptionally feminine. Shocked me. I guess shouldering a 70 pound pack and handling trail tools while traipsing around grizzly bear country had me feeling BIGGER, tougher, and more manly than that shadow suggested. Stopped me in my tracks. I’m sure Momma Nature was playing a few tricks with the length and proportions but there was a girlie shadow right there on the ridge stuck to my shoes. The lake was pristine. Deep clear…inviting…and super cold. I dropped my clothes and jumped in for for the refreshing jolt of a 
melted mountain snow cleanse. Afterwards as I lay on a rock soaking the heat into my goose-bumpy flesh like a lizard in the sun, I remember looking at the mosquito bitten tan parts (and the not-at-all-tan parts) of myself wondering if they actually matched the strange girlie shadow.
I wasn’t convinced.
