What does it mean?


You've been thinking about somone. Somone you haven't heard from in weeks, months or even years, and within a short period of time you receive some kind of communication from them. Twice I received letters from a woman I had worked with years before within a day of thinking about her for the first time in a long period of time. The second instance I even stopped in front of the mailbox and had the idea that there was going to be a letter from her because it had already happened once and sure enough, there was a letter in the box. My question is obvious. What is this phenomenon that boils down to a "Strange Case Of Uncanny Timing"?

Is it God? Is it the Universe? Entanglement? Are our brains Quantum computers? Is it the "Law of Attraction"?, or is it all nothing more than a coincidence? Carl Jung called it synchronicity and it happens all the time. Does it happen to you? It happens to me and I find myself wondering "What does it mean?". Decide for yourself as you follow my diary of another "Strange Case Of Uncanny Timing", also known as a S.C.O.U.T!

Friday, March 30, 2012

October 24, 2010 - Walkman walks no more


Background – I was driving home from Gettysburg after spending the day touring the battle fields on a Segway (awesome tour…I highly recommend it).  I had with me my son Zack and our French exchange student, Tongi.  The boys were chatting about all kinds of things in their comparison of our two countries and landed on the subject of the Sony Walkman.  I had to chuckle when I realized that the conversation centered on the fact that, while they had heard of a Sony Walkman, they weren't entirely sure what it actually was.  I decided to date myself and explain it to them in the interest of strengthening our international relations with France.  After a few “runs” at trying to get them to see how this thing worked, “cassette tape??”, I ended by telling them that I didn't even know if they make the Sony Walkman anymore.  That was the end of the conversation, but I gave just a few more minutes to thinking about this ancient device and what had happened to it, “are they still making that thing - or can you now only find one in a museum somewhere?!”.

S.C.O.U.T.  – The very next night, as the news ran through its various news articles, my ears pricked and the hair on my neck stiffened as the anchor woman began to profile the next story…apparently there was an announcement from electronics giant “Sony” today; they will no longer be making the “Sony Walkman”….

Asked and answered…coincidence?  YGTBKM!!  Seriously, YGTBKM if you believe that.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

October 22, 2010 - Siddartha you sly old dog


Background – I was substituting for half a day today so I had the morning to putts around the house.  The hubby is also working from home today and we got talking about one of our kids and a mistake he made.  The conversations grew to encompass mistakes that all of our kids have made and then finally about kids and mistakes in general.  We concluded, in all our parenting wisdom, that you have to let kids make their mistakes and take the consequences, even if it means that they end up failing in certain areas.  We agreed that this is one of the hardest parts of parenting; but sheltering, rescuing and heading off all the pain that bad decisions have to offer only puts them at a disadvantage as they grow.  It was a good discussion, and we consoled each other about all the pain that was sure to come if we chose to live by this creed.  It’s so difficult to watch your child suffer, especially when you know they did it to themselves!  My husband and I were finished talking and silently turned back to our work, the hint of doubt that we would actually be able to stick to our guns and watch our kids fail hanging in the air.

S.C.O.U.T.One hour later I plopped down to read the book my son - the one who had made the mistake and spurred the conversation with my husband - had given me.  The book is “Siddartha” by Herman Hesse.  In the first few pages I learn that Siddartha has a son.  I thought absolutely nothing of this fact until a few pages later when Siddartha’s friend begins to give him parenting advice…

Who protected Siddartha the Samana from Samsara, from sin, greed and folly?  Could his father’s piety, his teacher’s exhortations, his own knowledge, his own seeking, protect him?  Which father, which teacher could prevent him from living his own life, from soiling himself with life, from loading himself with sin, from swallowing the bitter drink himself, from finding his own path?  Do you think, my dear friend, that anybody is spared this path?  Perhaps your little son, because you would like to see him spared sorrow and pain and disillusionment?  But if you were to die ten times for him, you would not alter his destiny in the slightest.”

…a complete repeat of my conversation with my husband - although I have to give Herman Hesse a few extra credit points for the fancy-smancy language.    Oh, how I would love to be able to ask Siddartha a few questions myself.  Where o’where would I begin?

Simply uncanny.