I have begun wondering about this. I consider myself to be a realist, who has in a manner of speaking, both feet firmly on the literal and figurative ground. This may be why I mostly read memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies. But things have happened lately that have gotten me to wonder about happenstance. I should take the time to determine the definitional differences between the words coincidence and serendipitous. I can only do this through example.

Okay, today. This morning. I was working on the chapter in Shelf Life in which I talk about meeting Mike Walsh, our Foraker Group guru. The writing was going very well – it was most definitely an ideas day.

Heather on Rio durig CTR

I heard a ping – this meant that there was an email message. I switched gears and checked it out. I usually don’t do this when I’m writing. It was from Mike Walsh. What, I wondered, were the odds of this? And here I was, writing about him. This was a coincidence; defined: a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.

Last Monday, my walking into the podcast set of the Bleeding Hearts Brewery and again meeting up with Logan was serendipitous. Defined: serendipitous means to occur or discover by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

It all could have something to do with the fact that I’m now around a larger number of people than I used to be.

Or perhaps a higher power is putting me in these situations, in hopes that I will become less grounded.

Speaking of which, I would very much like to go for a ride in a hot air balloon.

I felt good about what I wrote about Mike Walsh and the accompanying job description. Tomorrow I will expand upon the importance of his influence.

Too soon, I was on my way to the Palmer High School Pool. There, I first stocked the bookshelves then went for a swim, with the hot tub dunking occurring before and after the swim. Actually, I did not swim; rather, I did a few of my exercises. This was an instance in which less was better. I felt really good when I got out of the pool.

I went to the Palmer Literacy Center and took note of the fact that Bill had left a dozen boxes of books from the Sutton Library on the nonfiction/fiction table. I sorted through a few boxes and then went to answer a knock on the door. It was Peg, a new volunteer who I contacted last night. She was impressed with all the books we have on hand as well as our layout; so much so that she called a friend of hers to come and check us out.

Her friend, Yvette, was as sharp as Peg. I had them clean books, and while they worked, I told them more about the project. I also told them that there is going to be a literacy meeting at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both said they’d attend.

4:00 p.m. Time to go home. I was to ride with my old friend, Heather Ashe. She brought her two horses along, Scout and Rio. We circled the loop and then went on the trails. A good time was really had by all.

Next: 172. 6/25/25: And it’s Getting Late