What Are the Odds?

July 15, 2017

My eyes have adjusted with age, and my vision is now clearer than when I was younger. How is that possible? I won't question a good turn. No longer does my world resemble a Monet painting--there was a day. People inquired about my possible need for glasses, especially for driving. My response: "I'm a safe driver. I can see the road, but I might be a lost driver; I can't read the street signs." It seems that one eye acclimated and became the dominant near-sighted eye and the other took over far-sighted function. Enter the world of Realism.

I've long held the theory that chaos now and then has a positive outcome, e.g. hit a pothole in the road that aligns your wheels. The odds are against it, but it could happen. My coworker's husband had a deviated septum straightened when he was working on a home project, and a board fell across his nose. Ouch! But, cheaper than surgery. Even better was the time my father hit a hole-in-one. It was his one and only. He drove the ball from the tee and lost sight of it. They searched to no avail and played through to the next green where they found a group of golfers laying on the green laughing. Apparently, while they were putting the ball, another ball dropped out of the sky into the cup. My dad drove a hole-in-one on the wrong green!

In the movie, Miracles from Heaven, a young girl, Anna, experiences a rare incurable disease. Her mother relentlessly challenges the young intern who thought mom was overreacting. Do they not teach students in pre-med that moms can sense things doctor's cannot know? Or that ordinary individuals might sense when something is off? Apparently, cats also have the uncanny ability to sense when something is off. Stories are told of nursing home cats that become especially attentive to residents who are not long for this world. Our cat was ultra attentive to my husband shortly before his heart attack--oh no, here comes the cat.

Anna struggled with her debilitating illness. After an accidental headlong fall, she began to show signs of recovery. Speculation is that perhaps the part of her brain that was not functioning and prevented her digestive system from working, was jolted into action after the fall. The miracle was that she did not break her neck in the fall. All is well that ends well.

I don't question when the odds fall in our favor. Take the money and run!

~ LowTide explorer, Carolyn Fjeran