Montana Jones

A conversation with Major M.

Me:

Montana is the last place I ever expected to end up living. There are some deep roots that brought me here.

Major M.:

So let me ask you something. Are you inclined to believe that the universe operates by random chance or that everything, every coincidence, is pre ordained and planned out.

Me:

Tough question.

MM:

Take your time.

Me:

Well, I've always been impressed with the way dissimilar things behave in the same way. Traffic on highways mimics packet traffic on the internet mimics the flow of blood through our veins. I always sort of attributed that to an artifact of the laws of physics and math and the basic forces of the universe. But I can't say if it was planned.

MM:

I ask because I have been noticing a lot of coincidences lately. Like the universe is conspiring to tell me something. I have been taking an informal, unscientific poll of people around me.

Me:

Well, the idea everything has a purpose brings me uncomfortably close to the question of god. I have a hard time taking anything on faith and the god that the various organized religions have been pushing my whole life makes me very uncomfortable. That said, there are things in this world I can't explain except by magic. I have studied some biology, but as far as I am concerned grass grows because of magic. Why do kids playing on swings make me smile? Magic.

MM:

I put the question to mom the other day and she showed me something astounding. She has a painting in the upstairs hall of her new house, she got it years ago when we lived back in *. It is just a painting of a meadow with some purple flowers; dad never liked it much I guess, but mom got it anyway. She had it hanging in their bedroom over by that desk they had in the corner. So anyway she has been hiking through the meadow behind their new house and she came to recognize it as the meadow in the painting. One day she was passing through and there were all these purple flowers blooming so she stopped and took a picture. She showed me the picture and the painting side by side and they are the same freaking thing.

Me:

Wow.

MM:

Yeah, mom said it was like the universe had told her where she was going. And she said that to me too. She sort of shook her finger at me and said "these coincidences you are seeing is the universe telling you something. Pay attention."

Me:

(laugh) That sounds like mom.

MM:

Yeah, your comment about our roots tying you to this place got me wondering about your take on the whole thing.

Posted by: Montana Jones / 9:47 PM