After reading the first few pages of The Secret, on a rainy afternoon, I placed it back on the cozy bookshop shelf and wandered thoughtfully away.  A few moments later, I was standing in front of the same shelf, this time alongside the kind bookshop owner, whose warm demeanor encouraged intimate conversation.  She took The Secret off the shelf and held it in her hand as she turned to me and quietly said:

“I must tell you.  I put The Secret on this shelf today.  It had been lost for months, and we didn’t know where it was.  And we kept looking for it.  But today, I walked by a shelf and there it was.  So, I returned it to this shelf today, and now here you are, and you picked it up.”

She handed the book to me, looked at me with a smile in her eyes and said, “I think you should buy it.”

Let me walk you through how I happened to find myself at the Market Street Bookshop in Mashpee on a Tuesday in June.  I had just finished leading a meditation class at the Mashpee Senior Center and had planned to stop at Cape Cod Coffee in Mashpee Commons after class with my laptop.  As anyone who knows me will attest, I love visiting cape cod coffee shops with my laptop.

However, as I sat in my car, I thought about returning home instead to work on an art project that needed to be completed in three days.  After a few moment’s hesitation, I told myself I deserved a break and headed to the coffee shop.

When I got there, I bought a coffee and took a seat at the counter that faces the large side window looking out at Market Street, instead of a table where I normally sit at.  Once seated I immersed myself into the blissful composition process.  When I looked up many minutes later, I glanced down the street and realized a bookshop was nearby.  The thought popped into my head: maybe I should stop there when I leave.

Twenty minutes later, I walked out the door and despite the rain, I turned away from my truck parked a few feet away and instead turned to the right and walked down Market Street to the bookshop.  When I arrived, I soon found myself in front of a shelf under a sign that read Inspirational Books.  The first book I picked up was The Secret, which several friends have recommended over the years.  I read the first few pages and learned that ‘the secret’ is the law of attraction.  The book claims:

“Everything that’s coming into your life you are attracting into your life.  And its attracted to you by virtue of the images you’re holding in your mind.  It’s what you’re thinking. Whatever is going on in your mind you are attracting to you.” (pg. 4)

I put the book down and meandered, enjoying the delight of browsing in a bookstore on a weekday afternoon.

At some point I found myself in conversation with the benevolent bookseller and together we made our way back to the Inspiration Books section, during which our encounter unfolded as described above.

I took the book from her hand and she walked away.  Flipping through the pages for the second time, I decided I would own it.

A few moments later I handed her my money.  After the purchase, she handed me my books and said, “Thank you” with a smile; a knowing smile.

I have been reading it.  I am glad it is here with me.