A higher power

 

How often do you wonder about the strange things?

A few weeks ago, for whatever reason, the movie Sonic the Hedgehog was on my mind. I think it had something to do with the sequel being released, but right now I have absolutely no clue why it happened to be rattling around in my thoughts.

As the afternoon moved along, the movie just kind of hung around. Every few minutes or so something would trigger a reminder. Imagine a three-year-old you’ve promised some candy at five o’clock. It’s only noon now, but they don’t know what time it is or how far away five is. They just keep asking the same question every minute for five hours: “Now?” Over and over and over (and over and over) again. That was my Sonic the Hedgehog thought pestering me on that day.

I finally decided that maybe I’d just watch the movie that evening. Seemed like a bit of mindless fun that would be an ok way to spend a couple of hours. So, I looked for it. And I couldn’t find it. None of the places I have available was offering it. None of them. Oh well, maybe some other time.

An hour or so later I was navigating the DirecTV menu and there it was. In about a half-hour it was starting on a station that happened to be in the middle of a free preview weekend.

There was no reason for me to stumble across it like that. None. And, most people would understand it as coincidence. That’s it. Just a happy accident that connected.

(By the way, it was pretty good. Funny and goofy and silly and mindless. Enjoyed it.)

A few months ago, the tracheotomy episode of M*A*S*H was on my mind. Woke up the next morning, flipped on the television and found a M*A*S*H rerun, which by this point you understand happened to be the episode with Father Mulcahy performing the procedure.

There are certain moments when we all think – or at least want to think – something else is going on. The wackiness… the randomness… is just too odd to attach to anything else other than a response to some external design we don’t control.

In general, I tend to keep my beliefs in faith-based areas to myself. That said, I will offer up that the programming decisions for television shows and movies seems just a little bit outside the areas where I would expect time and efforts from higher powers to be invested. But who am I to say? As we all know, the only ones that can answer questions about what happens in an afterlife aren’t available to provide reliable details. You know, faith-based, not definitive-based.

You’d think if anyone was listening in on my hopes and wishes, they’d do better than Sonic the Hedgehog. You know, maybe a winning lottery combination as just one example coming to mind. (Again, movie was good. But a winning lottery ticket and I could go out and buy the movie for viewing whenever and as often as I’d like. That would be an efficient approach where the rewarding of one wish results in the granting of many. I’m just trying to streamline the process and make it better for everyone.)

Birthday candles and shooting stars. Make a wish. Don’t tell anyone or it won’t come true.

Thinking about chocolate cake. Wanting chocolate cake. Arriving at home, open the door, and discover you hadn’t spoken to all day someone made a chocolate cake.

And sometimes, a random movie that comes to mind with no real prompting or connections to current events at all shows up later in the day.

Coincidence? Yeah. That’s it. Coincidence.

(Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to look for some cake and then see what’s on TV.)

 

If you have any comments or questions, please e-mail me at Bob@inmybackpack.com