Making love over chess to strangers - no patricia you focus on you..

Where do I begin?

I’m sitting in Madrid, in my brand-new hostel by a big window, overlooking a busy crossing. I feel alive.

I’ve escaped Busot.
Finally made it to Madrid — not just the city, but this moment in my life.
And I feel free.
It reminds me of that time I took a bus out of Orbost headed for Sydney, guided only by the stars.

This time, it wasn’t the stars — but a beautiful moment of connection.
A game of chess with a stranger on the train from Alicante to Madrid.

That morning started with being dropped off at the station by my host’s ex-boyfriend.
C had flown back home — her mother was ill and in the hospital.
After she left, I had the house to myself for one day.
Then the ex returned, and with him, the heavy energy came back too.
TV. Stagnation.
I felt the fog, the weight of not-moving, even as everything around me shifted.

But I moved anyway.
Torn between going to Finland and facing a dynamic with my own ex… or heading to Asturias (why did no one ever tell me how beautiful it is there?)
I couldn’t plan it all. It felt too big.
By 11:30, I was still trying to figure things out.

A short talk with the ex helped. I reminded him — and myself — that the universe is helping each of us rise into our own lives.

Then: bam. I booked a train ticket to Madrid at the machine.
Passed security.
Found myself in line with all the others heading somewhere.

Coach 7. Seat 5C.
A man walked behind me with such purpose — almost through me — and of course, his seat was 5D.

He helped me with my bag. I sat by the window.
Later, I realized I was actually in his seat — but he said nothing.
I unpacked my things, set up my little workstation.
Then I paused and opened my chess app, just to unwind.

Without saying a word, he showed me the same app on his phone.
What are the odds?

We talked briefly — I said I only played puzzles.
Then he asked, “Want a game?”

And for 25 minutes, we leaned in. Two strangers playing head-to-head in that small shared space.
Focused. Present.
It was my first real chess match against another human — and I was holding my ground.
He checkmated me in the end, but we laughed.
I thanked him. It felt like something shifted.

So, Pat — you’ve done it again.
You moved. You lit the fire.

Now here I am, sitting in my cozy pod in Madrid.
Tomorrow, it’s Oviedo. Then Asturias, until mid-August.

I feel light.
I hope all the good things are coming now.

Oh — and yes, I’m manifesting. Clients, money, flow.
It’s all happening.
We are different now.
We are here.