Coincidence or Destiny?

Several years ago I was stopped at a stoplight in St. Paul at the corner of Larpenteur and Edgerton; I was on Edgerton. When the light turned green I tried to move my foot from the break to the gas pedal; however, the soul of my tennis shoe had caught on the brake pedal. Not sure how the shoe became caught but it did. It didn’t take long to free the shoe and prepare to enter the intersection-thirty seconds, maybe a minute after the light had changed. I looked up, before I proceeding into the intersection, just in time to see a vehicle speed through the intersection heading south on Larpenteur. Had my shoe not caught on the brake pedal that car would have hit me broad-side. Was this a coincidence or destiny?

Approximately a year after I moved to Las Vegas from St. Paul, the I35 Bridge collapsed. I had used that bridge every day, after all it was only five minutes from my home. There was a women who avoided that bridge; however, the day it fell she was on it. She died. Destiny or bad luck?

Destiny, defined as ‘events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future’ or, ‘the hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future; fate.’  Coincidence is defined as a ‘remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.’  The question: is our life a series of predefined events or do are we solely responsible for managing our lives and incidents like those mentioned above are merely coincidence? Are there forces in the universe at work guiding or manipulating events; i.e., guardian angels, saints, spirit guides, etc.

As I laid awake last night contemplating the concept of destiny or coincidence I realized it’s not simplistic. If life is a series of coincidence then careful planning would help us avoid making mistakes or ‘ending’ up in unpleasant places or situations. If our lives are guided by a master plan designed by God or forces of this Universe then there is little we can do but to just live out our life.

Human beings are supposed to have free will which doesn’t support the theory of a master plan or destiny. Yet a great number of people proclaim the validity of psychic abilities. Perhaps you have experienced a time when you ‘knew’ what was going to happen or experienced déjà vu. 

I read my horoscope the other day, something I don’t do; however, I’ve had a lot of time lately. Anyway, much of the horoscope matched my current situation. I understand that there are also many Virgos who would read that horoscope and say, ‘What a bunch of bunk!’ Non-the-less, I read it twice although I’m not sure why. The text said what was happening but was vague and general regarding ways to improve situations or fix problems. And, much to my dismay, didn’t list the winning lottery numbers.

Spirits among us. My son and my father were very close. I didn’t realize how close until the night my father passed away. Approximately one month after a serious heart attack Dad had stopped eating and failed to respond much of the time. We, my siblings determined the best place for our father was in a nursing home. I was worn out, having spent the previous month going from home to my sons’ school, the hospital and work; all of which were within a three mile radius. I was looking forward to going to bed before midnight; however, that was not to be.

An hour after I’d put my ten year old son to bed, I was just falling asleep, when he burst out of his bedroom insistent on going to see Papa. Initially I said no. Even called my sister so she could validate my decision. She was going in the morning. My son, though, was far too insistent so we went to visit Papa.

When I’d leaned in to kiss my father goodbye my purse slipped off my shoulder and smacked onto Dad’s stomach. He didn’t move. Not a twitch. Not a blink. Not a gasp. Nothing. I knew then what my son apparently knew a couple hours earlier, that my father was going to pass away that night. But then something beautiful happened. I stepped back to let my son say goodbye. My son, walked up to the bedside, said, ‘Papa.’ My dad opened his eyes, turned his head to look at his grandson and said, ‘Goodbye, I love you.’ My dad hadn’t the strength to talk with his daughter yet was able to talk with his grandson. Did my father communicate with my son? Meaning that love transcends space and time. Or was there a spirit? Whoever, or whatever, was responsible my son knew he had one last chance to talk with ‘Papa.’

Destiny? Coincidence? Spirits among us? There are many interesting accounts of from different people regarding situations similar to those I’ve mentioned above. Perhaps someday science will be able to explain these situations so we all understand. I for one though don’t care to know that much. I enjoy experiencing them and marveling at the mysticism.  

NOTE: Interesting reading. There is a theory that the past, present and future exists on the same plane, separated by a thin wall or curtain; that we on earth are but an arm’s length from our ancestors and our future. Dancing on a Stamp, by Garnet Schulhauser, is a fictional narrative on this subject. The book uses a ‘spirit guide’, not a psychic, as instructor to the main character who is seeking answers during his journey of the soul.