Kismet, Karma and Coincidence

"How a person masters his fate is more important than what his fate is."

- Wilhelm von Humbolt

Do you believe in signs? Do you? Really? I mean - really? I'd like to think I don't but sometimes Life has a way of really testing my limits. Enough so that occasionally, whether I like to admit it or not, I do in fact believe that something larger than myself is nudging me towards some destination.

Not that I have no choice in the matter. I can ignore all the portents and remain stuck in the mud of my life if I so desire.  But sometimes the messages I think I'm getting are so strong is seems rather ludicrous not to follow them and see where they lead.

Case in point: I have been rather occupied as of late with my attempt to write my very first full length book. I dare not call it a 'novel' and I am really pretty queasy about saying I'm 'writing'. Too often my time is spent sitting and staring at a blank computer screen, knowing what I want to say but having no idea how to say it. I know the story I'm writing and have the whole thing outlined, but hunkering down and actually putting words to the damn thing has proven quite difficult.

A few months ago I received an invitation to join LinkedIn - from what I can tell it's like MySpace for business professionals. I think the person that sent it to me accidentally included my email in the group invite. I have no recollection of actually joining this thing. But, apparently, I did because last night, via a message from LinkedIn, I received the following email:

Kyle,

I decided to ping you after much contemplation. Interesting thing... surfing the net, saw some of your work on GTC and was quite amuzed, in a good way. Thought to see how life is treating you and hope all is decent. Maybe you'd be interested in catching up.

From your bud in Houston (Spring Oaks Jr / Spring Woods Sr)

- Elaine [last name redacted]
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@hotmail.com

PS: I hope that you're still writing. You had some wicked stories in school.

Here is where the augery got really to be too much for me. See - in my book I have a chapter where my protagonist is reflecting back upon his life and one of the things he thinks of is his first girlfriend back in sixth grade.  Because I am much too lazy to think of anything original, I used a true story from my own childhood and didn't even bother to change the girl's name. I figure the book will never see the light of day and even if it does (1) The girl will probably never read it and (2) The anecdote paints me in a bad light not the girl. I have been having my doubts about whether or not to change it just to be safe since I would have no idea how to contact her to see if she minds being mentioned in a silly adventure story. 

Yes, yes it would be too unbelievable if as I was writing it I get contacted by the girl herself. That would just border on the downright psychic. Elaine was not my first girlfriend (Not that I would have minded. She was pretty cute.) She was my first girlfriend's BFF.

And the part that's really freaking me out is the P.S. In all honesty I have no recollection whatsoever of writing stories in junior high. I mean, it's entirely possible (and given her email, I guess I did.) I just don't remember ever writing any and showing them to people. It comes down to some self-realization I have just recently acquired. I am not a film-maker. I am not an actor. I am not a writer. I am a story-teller. I always have been. Film and theatre and putting pen to page have just been the various mediums I have used to get the stories out. I suppose I don't recall writing any stories back then because I thought 'only writers write stories'. And I sure as heck wasn't a writer.  I'd be curious to see if she remembers any of the stories. Maybe she can remind me of some gem I can recycle later.

Reading the tea leaves,

Kyle