About Coincidence, Intuition and a Castle in the Dordogne

I'm currently in the beautiful Dordogne for a workation. And yes, I realize how fortunate that is. This is the place where I recharge. Where I write. Where plans are allowed to slowly cook. And where I count shooting stars at night.

With temperatures well above 40°C (104°F), this hasn't exactly been my most active stay here. So I've finally started reading that book about Eleanor of Aquitaine.

A woman who lived more than nine hundred years ago. Queen of France. Later Queen of England. Intelligent, strong-willed and influential. A woman far ahead of her time.

Not because she shouted the loudest, but because she kept following her own path in a world that wasn't quite ready for that yet.

And while I was here, I heard a story that I haven't been able to shake ever since. Less than five minutes from where I'm staying, hidden among the trees, stands a castle where Eleanor once lived.

Selling that castle had been a headache for years. The owner wanted to sell. Several serious buyers had already come forward. Negotiations had been completed. The signatures seemed like a mere formality. But each time, the owner pulled out at the very last moment. Much to the frustration of the real estate agents.

Why? She couldn't explain it. "It just didn't feel right."

Until another couple showed up. This time, the sale went through.

Only after moving in did the new owner discover something remarkable. She had always known that she descended from Eleanor of Aquitaine's family line. What she didn't know was that this very castle had once actually been home to Eleanor herself.

Coincidence? Maybe.

Perhaps our brains are exceptionally good at connecting events afterwards and weaving them into a compelling story. But perhaps there are also moments when our intuition picks up on something our mind doesn't yet have words for.

And maybe that's exactly why this story stays with me.

Because we've all experienced moments like that: "Something doesn't feel right." "I can't explain it." "My head says yes, but my gut says no."

How often do we only understand in hindsight why something didn't happen? That job that almost landed in your lap. That encounter that seemed purely coincidental. That decision whose significance only becomes clear years later.

Is it coincidence? I honestly don't know. And to be honest, I don't really need to.

Some stories are simply too beautiful to explain straight away.

One thing I do know, though. If I ever sell a castle, and my intuition says "no" for the fourth time...

I might just ask to see the buyers' family tree first.

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