I got into theatre kinda late by some standards, and I sorta fell

The words of Colin Donnell, “I got into theatre kinda late by some standards, and I sorta fell into it. I had broken my ankle playing football, and my high school was doing a production of ‘Barnum.’ I could juggle, and my mom really wanted to get me out of the house...” may seem like a tale of chance, a simple memory of youthful misdirection. Yet hidden within this story lies an ancient truth — that fate often hides behind the veil of misfortune, and that what seems like an accident may, in truth, be the secret path toward one’s destiny.

Throughout history, wise men and poets have spoken of this — that the gods speak not in thunder, but in whispers, and that the road to one’s true calling is rarely straight. In Colin’s tale, a broken ankle became the gateway to a new life. The body was wounded, but the spirit was redirected; where the field of competition closed, the stage of imagination opened. Such is the way of life: when one door is sealed by pain, another opens by providence. It is the mark of wisdom to see this and to step forward when it happens, even if the path is strange and unexpected.

There is an echo of this truth in the life of Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin. He, too, “fell into” his destiny — by accident, or perhaps by divine design. A mold ruined his bacterial cultures, and in frustration he might have discarded it, had he not been curious enough to look closer. What he found changed the course of human history. From a moment of disorder came a revelation. Fortune favors not only the bold, but the observant, those who see opportunity in what others dismiss as failure. Colin Donnell’s story carries that same spirit — of a man who, through a broken bone, found the theatre that would one day define his life.

The ancients would have said that such moments are touched by the hand of the Fates, who weave our stories with threads of both sorrow and surprise. For who among us can say where our next beginning will come from? A loss, a setback, a closed door — all may conceal the entrance to a truer path. What matters is not whether the moment seems noble or grand, but whether the heart is open enough to say yes when destiny whispers. Colin’s mother, in urging him to audition, played the role of the oracle, guiding him toward a future neither of them could yet see.

There is a deeper lesson here about the transforming power of change. Many resist it, clinging to the life they had planned, mourning the dreams that can no longer be. But those who thrive — the artists, the innovators, the dreamers — are those who bend like reeds in the wind, who let go of what was to embrace what might be. In losing one identity, they find another, stronger one. Colin’s ankle broke, but his imagination healed. He was no longer an athlete bound to the field; he became a storyteller, bound to the hearts of others.

To every listener who faces disappointment, remember this: what you call a detour may be your truest direction. The road you did not choose may be the very one your spirit was meant to walk. As the old proverb says, “When the gods wish to guide a man, they first confound his steps.” So, when life breaks your plans — when the season of loss comes — do not despair. Look around. There may be a stage waiting, a door ajar, a calling that has been whispering your name all along.

The lesson, then, is to trust the unexpected. Let misfortune become the mentor, and chance the compass. Say yes to the strange invitation, the unplanned path, the unfamiliar challenge. For destiny is rarely found by those who chase it; it often finds those who stumble upon it with open hearts. Colin Donnell’s story is not merely about theatre or youth — it is about the mysterious way in which life shapes us, using even our brokenness as clay for creation.

So remember, children of tomorrow: when your plans crumble, do not weep too long. Look to the horizon, for life may be crafting something greater from your loss. Every fall may be a flight in disguise, every ending a hidden beginning. Walk forward in faith, for what seems accidental may one day become the moment that defines your soul.