This is a Wake-Up Call

aka When the Universe Gives You a Slightly Bruised Bumper (and Ego)

Yesterday, I got into a car accident.

Nothing serious, just a little fender bender. No one was hurt luckily. My car’s fine (aside from its new bumper ‘character’). I’m fine too… minus a slightly bruised ego. But something about that moment shook me. Then I realized. It was the Universe whispering, “Hey, are you paying attention?”

Because if I’m honest, I hadn’t been.

Lately, I’ve been caught in a bit of a whirlwind of doing and pushing forward. It’s all be good things. My work is going great! I’m really getting into a rhythm of balancing my business consulting work with also still editing my novel.

But I still forgot to breathe. To pause. To reflect. To be.

Maybe you know the feeling. The one where you’re technically “on the path” but you haven’t stopped to look around in a while. To smell the roses (or for this time of year in Missouri, the elderflowers, they’re everywhere). You haven’t taken the time to ask yourself if the journey you’re on is still the one you chose, or if it’s just become autopilot.

That bump jolted me back. Not just into my body, but into my life. Yes, growing my business and finishing my book matter. But so does enjoying this life and the journey. So is remembering that we’re fragile human beings, one accident, one mistake away from non-existence (at least this physical existence).

It made me thankful for life and for the breath that fuels each moment.

But then came anger.

Not because I got hurt, but because my first thought was, ‘Thank god I’m okay… I don’t have health insurance.’ That shouldn’t be the norm. So yeah, I’m angry that I live in a country that doesn’t cover its citizens’ healthcare through our taxes. Because being an entrepreneur is hard enough, but not being able to afford health insurance shouldn’t one of those hard things.

I know I am lucky. I am privileged to live a comfortable-enough middle-class life and make enough for a roof over my head and food in my fridge, compared to much of the world and even many Americans.

But this is not just about me.

My wake-up call includes being reminded of why I do anything.

We, as humans, are all in this world together. We’re deeply and intrinsically interconnected. Whether we’re next-door neighbors or halfway around the globe. We all have dreams, wants, needs, loves, fears, and a desire to truly live and be free. Not just survive, but to thrive, to be better, and to grow. I truly believe that.

I don’t have all the answers and I don’t know what it will take to change our world for the better. But I do know that I will try and do my part.

I’m a writer.

And a dreamer.

And I can imagine a world where people and our planet are truly valued.

That’s what stirs in my souls and pulls at my heart. I’m thankful for being shaken awake once more. Next time, I hope to not need a small car accident to do so.

It’s like the Call to Adventure in the Hero’s Journey. If you’ve studied storytelling or mythology, you know the moment. The protagonist is living their Ordinary World when—bam!—a disruption arrives. A message. A storm. A stranger at the door. A nudge (or shove) from the Universe that says: “It’s time.”

That’s what this moment was for me. A not-so-dramatic call to adventure, but a clear one. This was a little reminder that life isn’t happening to me, it’s happening through me.

As a writer, this is one of my favorite parts of fiction. That moment when the main character is offered a choice: stay safe or step into the unknown. That threshold between what is and what could be. The call shows up, and we, the reader, the viewer, the soul inside the story—feel it.

Because we’ve been there too.

I believe that’s why the Hero’s Journey resonates so deeply across time and culture. It’s not just a narrative structure, it’s our soul’s journey too. A mirror of the initiations we all go throughout life.

From numbness to awakening.

From safety to growth.

From silence to voice.

From fear to love.

This is also the arc at the heart of my upcoming novel, Woven in Time. Each of the three women—Miryam, Leah, and Karaia—experiences their own call to action. Their own nudge from the Universe. Their own moment where the world as they knew it shatters, and something ancient, wild, and sacred begins to whisper to their souls.

It’s the journey we’re all on.

So today I’m listening. To the whisper of my intuition. To the not-so-subtle signs that say: ‘Wake up. Your story is calling.’

If you’ve been waiting for a sign too? This is it.

Keep dreaming always.

And of course, please like, subscribe, share, and comment if this resonated with you!

Or buy me a coffee here. :)

With love,

Jess