A Story of Meant to Be
Five years ago, right after my graduation, I had to find a temporary place to stay until my job situation was finalized. Luckily, I found a post in a Facebook group and moved in with some wonderful roommates in the same apartment complex. It was a perfect arrangement. I had a cozy room downstairs that opened to a patio, giving me easy access to the outdoors. My roommates were kind and welcoming—it all felt just right.
The apartment was well-furnished, so I didn’t need to bring much. The living area had the basics: a couch, coffee table, side tables, and a few simple decorative items. On one wall hung a wooden art frame featuring a magnolia painting. It wasn’t extraordinary or striking, just a pleasant piece that blended into the space.
I stayed in that apartment for about three months before moving again. My roommates were also relocating—one even out of state. When she left, she passed on several things to me, including that wooden art. I moved to another unit in the same complex for about a year and brought along many items from my former roommates, including the artwork. To be honest, I didn’t give it much thought. I’m not even sure if I hung it up that time, but it stayed with me.
Then came another move—yup, I moved a lot back then. This time, I found a charming one-bedroom apartment overlooking downtown Fort Worth, my “big girl” apartment. I wanted to be intentional with this space. I didn’t want it to feel temporary; I wanted it to feel like home. I spent hours on TikTok and Pinterest, picking ideas, visiting stores, and finding pieces that matched the vision in my head.
For the wall behind my couch, I didn’t find anything that felt right, so I hung that wooden magnolia art. It wasn’t fancy, but it filled the space until I printed our wedding photos and replaced it with those framed pictures. I then told my husband, “You can list this frame on Marketplace. I don’t want it anymore.” He did, but no one bought it. We didn’t care much for it, and it stayed tucked in a corner until it was time to move again.
A few months ago, we finally moved into our HOME. We packed everything, threw out plenty, and began our new chapter. I planned to toss that old artwork, but my husband somehow packed it anyway. It sat in our garage for months, forgotten.
Then, one afternoon, in the middle of some random tasks, I had a lightbulb moment. I walked straight to the garage, picked up the painting, and thought—Hmm, what if?
No one was home to share my idea, so I turned to ChatGPT for help (yes, really!). My idea was to hang this piece in our dining area. The digital visualization looked fine, but it wasn’t quite real yet until my husband came home and hung it on the wall. That’s when I really saw it.
It was perfect!
The colors, the tone, the way it tied the space together- it was as if it was meant to be there all along. That artwork had traveled with me through so many transitions, only to find its purpose here, in this home.
Now, I sit at our dining table, facing that wall. I look at it and think about its journey and its purpose. It had to go through so much to be in this space today — to be seen and appreciated finally. It makes me reflect on my own path and the times I’ve felt unseen or unappreciated. Maybe, like that artwork, we all have to move through several journeys in life before we reach the space where we truly fit, where we’re recognized and valued for who we are and what we bring to the table. Even now, career-wise, I feel as though I haven’t yet reached the place where I truly belong.
But then I think maybe until I do, it’s my dharma to keep evolving, learning, and growing to move through the seasons of becoming until I finally arrive in a space where I’m seen for exactly who I am and what I bring to my work and this world.
Just like that magnolia art, maybe I’m on my own journey to find the wall where I fit perfectly. And maybe you are too…