Roll Again

When Edgar and I were playing backgammon yesterday, one of my dice rolled under the sofa. Reaching under the sofa, I scooped up a die, put it in the cup and rolled. Thinking that I'd mixed the dice, I looked quizzically at Edgar when a die of each color landed on the board.  Unbelievably, the only two items under the sofa were this die that we didn't know was missing and mine. 

Had the dice been the same color, we wouldn't have discovered die #2 or this bizarre coincidence.  

Oddly enough, this oddity reminded me that in life (not dice), we often quit searching when we find what we expect, rather than continue to see if other, better options exist.

Personalized Payment

It's been years since I've received U.S. currency with a note written on it.  Imagine my surprise, when I made an infrequent trip to the ATM today and received a $20 bill with Pam written on it.  So many things had to fall into place at exactly the right time.  This is yet another weird way in which everything's connected.

Odd Woman Out - Everything Else is Connected

Recently, at the opening of Comerica's Community Resource Center at Change Happens, a woman named Maya and I were visiting with two precious young girls who were participating in the agency's summer program.  Maya's not a common name, and amazingly our two companions also had uncommon names that rhymed with hers.  Since these grade school girls obviously had no business cards, I can't capture the spelling of their rhyming names, but they were all amazed when I pointed out their special connection.

Who would ever guess that the name Pam or Pamela was the odd woman out in a group of four?

Coincidences

Today my odometer turned to 759 as I reached my exit - #759.  If I bought lottery tickets, I'd definitely choose 7, 5 and 9 as today's numbers.  Oddly enough, 9 and 5 are my favorite numbers, with #7 ranking 3rd. Spotting quirky coincidences in our daily journeys keeps us alert and life interesting.

Uncanny Timing

I placed a call this morning to a family friend and had to leave a message.  A few minutes later I received an email message from someone by the same name.  My first thought, as I previewed the message, was that I'd gotten an email response to my voice message. Not so -  I didn't actually know the sender of the email.  I just googled my friend's name and got 3.88 million hits, and another search revealed that his is the 17th most common surname.  Oddly enough, I've never called this friend nor received an email message from this stranger before.  Though there are a lot of folks by this name, I find it amazing that I initiated a call to one of them and received a call from another within minutes.

Coincidences

Within 24 hours, I had three distinct reminders that everything is inextricably connected. 

1. One of my colleages was visiting my office and mentioned that she'd seen a colleague at a recent event. Just then, my phone rang, and the colleague she'd named was calling.  Sterling Bank has 1000 employees, so the odds and timing of this call were especially surprising.
2. A colleague and I were concluding a meeting in my office as another colleague dropped by to deliver my mail.  The letter on top of the stack was from the non-profit organization, that the colleague with whom I'd initially been visiting, had chosen to designate her Employee Directed Grant. Think for a moment, about all the ways in which this stack of mail might have been delivered.
3. I arrived at a lunch meeting to discover that I  also knew everyone at the adjacent table, and had a niece dining at a nearby table.  

Mere coincidences or more proof that "Everything's Connected"?

Where Did You Buy That Coat?

One of my friends from Houston bought a lovely mink coat in Dallas.  Fifteen years later, she and her husband were visiting Park City, Utah.  A man approached her in a store and asked if she'd purchased her coat from a store that he named in Dallas.  When she quizzically affirmed that she had, he proceeded to tell her that he remembered making the coat in New York. 

Though time and distance intervene, I'm continually amazed at how very connected we all are.

Highs and Lows of an October Day

I woke up early, knowing that I had a flight at 8:00 a.m. This was a day where everything needed to go smoothly and every minute counted.

Before I left the house:
Our precious son needed multiple wake-up options
Our 14-year old cat had an unfortunate encounter with a raccoon
A shower unexplainedly overflowed into the living room

On the road:
All was going 100% perfectly, until the traffic stopped. Thankfully, it was a temporary slow-down due to an 18-wheeler blow-out and residual impacts.

At the airport:
Looks like the economy is improving, due to my visual assessment of the number of early morning travelers compared to 4 months ago. Fewer screening positions open. A number of occasional travelers who don't know the drill. Made the flight! Spotted one of our dear nephews on the flight!

When I Landed in Dallas:
Urgent message to call our CPA about questions for our 10/15 return. Walked Edgar through the location of the missing data before the event began.

Our Sterling Bank Women's Business Initiative event:
Spectacular!

When I Landed at Home:
Got the tax news from Edgar and said I'd forego the community partner celebration. Glad that I heeded his advice and arrived to congratulate my friends.

At home:
Processed all the tax returns. Edgar dressed, then sent the tax returns while I dressed for our Black Tie Dinner Dance.

Dinner Dance:
Small world continues to evolve as I discover that the dinner guest I'm seated by and I have both sequentially hired the same incredible associate.

What a day!