Fear them, they will come

You know the quote from that movie, Field of Dreams, with Kevin Costner, "Build it, they will come"?  Well, I have a modification for that, "Fear them, they will come." i.e. If there is someone you're trying to avoid, you will slam right into them. It's true. It happens to me every time.

I can't deny that I have a long list of "who to avoid" running through my head at any given time...but I'm finding that it's almost a silent beacon of attraction. The more I think, "I don't want to see them" the more often I see them.

Exhibit A
Several years ago, I had a visiting teacher who was much too eager. She wanted to visit with me all the time, wanted to stay and talk for hours, wanted me to go to activities with her, wanted me to share my feelings with her. Um, no. Needless to say, she quickly became someone I tried to avoid at all cost.

And it just so happened, the more I tried to avoid her, the more I ended up bumping into her. Seriously. Even when I tried to plan an exit strategy, she would appear out of nowhere with her cheesy grin staring back at me!  Aaaah! Where did you come from?!

Exhibit B
A few weeks ago I walked into a crowded post office, only to find the previous RS president (who I still try vehemently to avoid), directly in front of me in a very long line of patrons. Oh crap. No turning back. Long line. Lots of time for conversation.

Exhibit C
A few weeks later I went to the grocery store. The current RS president had been trying to get a hold of me to talk, so (as psycho as it sounds), I planned my grocery trip specifically at an odd time so I wouldn't have a chance of running into her. I'm sure you can guess who I ran right into in isle 5? Are. You. Kidding. Me?! I couldn't have planned that meeting any better if I tried.

So maybe it all comes down to this. Ever heard of something called The Law of Attraction? Simply put, The Law of Attraction states that we attract into our lives whatever we think about. Dominant thoughts will produce results.

The more I think, I don't want to see "Tina" (no offense Tina, I'm using a fake name), the more times I think about Tina and the more often I'll run into Tina. I guess my brain is leaving the part out about "don't want to" and just hears "see Tina".

Dominant thoughts produce results in the same way our negative thinking creates our anxiety. It all makes sense.

Time to focus on what I WANT, instead of what I DON'T WANT (or who I don't want to see). And see what happens.