Coincidence?

Every once in a while, something bizzare and unusual happens, a coincidence so statistically improbable that you have to wonder. This weekend, on a trip to New York City, I ran into a friend on the street. Since I lived in New York for 2 years, you'd think this was rather commonplace. However, the friend I encountered has never lived in New York, currently lives in New Orleans, and was only in the city for the weekend. If I'd passed even a few minutes earlier or later, I would never have seen her. If my other two friends and I had followed the original plan of going to Washington Square Park instead of Hudson River Park, I would never have seen her. If I'd been on time that morning rather than an hour late, I never would have seen her.

In the event that I didn't run into her, I would have missed out on seeing a friend separated from me by Katrina, a great night of burlesque with my good friend, the Reverend Spooky LeStrange,the opportunity to brag about having a sexy burlesque dancer in my lap, and a great story about the most recent edition to the unusual and improbable events I've been collecting all of my life.

Coincidence? I think so. But it's definitely an amazing set of circumstances. And it will make a great story for many years to come. As for breaking my usual rule about no "personal" blog posts, it's a good reason for me to link to this and this. Isn't it amazing how a random, insignificant event can mean so much to us? Of course, can we be sure that they're always random and insignificant? Your guess is as good as mine.

CODED PERSONAL ADDENDUM: (Don't expect to understand this.) The Duck farts at midnight and belches gleefully in the evening.