“You will not break loose until you realize that you yourself forge the chains that bind you.” Pam Grout - E-Squared

Well folks, my 48 hours are up and I promised you I would give you an update on how Experiment #1 from E-Squared worked out. You can read the details about this experiment in yesterday's post located HERE.  Go ahead and read it now, if you haven't already. We'll wait for you.

I don't mind admitting that up until about an hour ago I was sweating bullets and wondering how on earth I was going to break the news to you that it didn't work. What would I say? How could I possibly come back to you and tell you it was all a hype? How could I save face without lying? I'd be lying if I didn't say I thought about deleting yesterday's post and pretending it never happened, but that was all before my experience tonight.

I've had my ears and eyes wide open since I gave "The Universe" the little ultimatum. I mean really, I figured I owed it to myself to give it my best shot. But nothing was happening - at least not anything BIG like I had expected.  One thing did happen yesterday, but I wasn't satisfied. It wasn't big enough. It was a coincidence. It wasn't the answer.

Let me explain. I am currently working a book about my mother's life in rural Maine in the early to mid 1900s. I've asked everyone if they have pictures of the area where she was raised. I've posted on Facebook and in several groups. No one had pictures.

• Yesterday, I ran into someone who typically doesn't go out of his way to share information. He suddenly told me he had pictures that he would let me copy. I was excited about this but figured I'd asked before and this wasn't really that big a deal. It wasn't my answer.
• Last night, a cousin who I've had very little contact with over the years, added me to a group conversation on Facebook. A few family pictures were shared. I was delighted but didn't count that as big enough to be my answer either. After all, she was my cousin.
• Today, I heard from someone who gave me the name and number of someone who is still alive and well who lived in the same little village with my mother. He is ready and willing to share what stories he remembers. Nope. Not enough to satisfy me. It wasn't my answer.
• Tonight, at about 8 p.m. - a full hour before my deadline - I was suddenly inspired to start a family group on Facebook to share family pictures and stories. I invited 5 or 6 members ad didn't really expect others to join. Within minutes, there were 27 members in the group and several began posting old family pictures right away.

I was so excited and happy that it took me a while to realize that The Universe had been busy answering my request for two days, but I was too blind (or skeptical) to see it.

I'll be posting about Experiment #2 tomorrow. If you don't have the book, yet, I encourage you to get it and follow along with me. Please feel free to share your experiences with Experiment #1 in the comments! We'd all love to hear how it works for you!