Your Manifestations Could Be in Disguise

You really do manifest what you speak, and even then, sometimes, you don’t recognize it right away. Let me explain.

Before I was the Contest Queen, I was a contestor. I still am, and as it’s been a few years, I decided I wanted to win my 25th trip in 2025. “25 IN 25” What a fun winning slogan for the year. (SPOILER ALERT: I counted incorrectly.) Let me tell the tale of how it took me two days to figure out that my 23rd trip win was exactly what I was affirming.

It didn’t take long before my boyfriend George won a weekend away to attend the annual film festival in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on Instagram. It included:

️ 2 nights at the Hochelaga Inn
️ 6 film passes x2
️ 2 tickets to Dinner and a movie: a walk through Italy at Olivea Kingstonlicious event
️ 2 tickets to In Conversation: Jay Baruchel
️ 2 KCFF totes

We had our choice of dates, so I selected March 1st and 2nd as I had an appointment on February 28th. I was so excited as it wasn’t something we would normally attend. Life is all about new experiences and adventures.

Life is a daring adventure, or it’s nothing.
Helen Keller

We left Saturday morning so we could be in Kingston in time for lunch and attend our first event. We braved the freezing temperatures (-15°C to -20°C) and enjoyed our chat with Jay Baruchel before checking into the Bed & Breakfast. They had a coffee bar and afternoon snacks, so we were able to relax before heading out into the cold once again.

Our first film was The Hobby, a documentary on people who collect and play board games, including a peek into an event to crown the top players. I found this fascinating as the community felt very similar to the sweepstakes community, and the event took place in the exact same room as the 2024 Annual National Sweepstakes Convention. It was fun to be adults and enjoy alcoholic drinks and popcorn while being immersed in the show. Of course, I approached the director, Simon Ennis, after the Q&A to pitch him the idea of doing a documentary on Helene Hadsell. You never know what doors will open if you shoot your shot.

Then we were off to our next movie, Young Werther. It was a fantastic adaptation of the 1774 German novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. It was colorful and whimsical. The director José Lourenço outlined how he had changed the film to remove the darkness, including Wether’s death at the end of the book.

After savoring our continental breakfast, we were off to our first movie of the day, Hunting Daze (Jour de Chasse). It was a thriller about a sex worker who is stranded in the woods with a group of hunters out for a bachelor party weekend. It was a weird, dark film that had me gripped. We didn’t stick around for the Q&A as it was an intense film, and we didn’t have too much time between movies.

We headed to our final film for the weekend, Adrianne and the Castle. It was a whimsical movie about Alan St-George, his marriage to Adrianne, and the magical castle he created for her. Although Adrianne has been gone for almost 20 years, Alan continues to embellish their home with his art and creations. It was fascinating to glimpse into someone else’s life, love, and artistic expression. It really showed me that there are no rules. Why can’t you have a living room that looks like an opera set?

It was time for an afternoon pick-me-up at the local coffee shop. It was while I was drinking my latte and eating a blueberry muffin that it hit me. I had manifested what I had been asking for. It was the 25th anniversary of the Kingston Canada Film Festival. Their logo was 25 KCFF. It was 25 in 25!

As we had been notified we won at the beginning of the week, it took me seven days to figure it out. My mantra had been ’25 in 25′. I didn’t say specifically what. I was assuming a trip, but as I stated earlier, it turned out it was trip number 23. (Watch the first video below to see the list of all my trip wins since I began my winning hobby.)

I decided I could win two more trips this year. Why not?! I have done so before. I do it again.

Have you ever manifested what you asked for, but the form wasn’t what you expected?