Happenstance

Lives are so easily changed by a moment’s happenstance.

Reaching down to pick up a map or a cell phone and suddenly your car veers into oncoming traffic and you spend the rest of your life as felon with a limp.  And two traumatized seven year old twins who were asleep in the car you struck head on grow up living with their aunt. Throughout their lives they will tear up when they revisit those last memories of their loving parents being futilely med-evacuated to a trauma center. 

Will we all pick up maps or change radio stations?  Absolutely.  Will nothing happen 99.99% of the time? Absolutely.  Happenstance.

Or one day a teacher compliments you on a paragraph you wrote and suddenly writing becomes the be all and end all passion of your life.  You struggle with your craft and you succeed.  Maybe you end up an essayist.  Maybe you do PR but in your schilling for a potato chip, an oil additive or Doctors without Borders you write well. When you see the teacher who created that spark of inspiration again in 25 years she doesn’t really remember your transforming moment. Worse yet you aren’t quite sure that she even remembers you.

Do transformation moments happen in our lives every single day?  Absolutely. Do we recognize them?  Sometimes. What occurs in our odd and hanging moments can bring good or bad.  Sometimes the results go sideways.  But the plan you had for your life palpably changes and the trajectory you take is never the same. Happenstance.  There is both good and ill in happenstance.  Accepting this fact is the key to forward motion and spiritual growth.