Happy Coincidence

Coincidences often make me wonder if there isn’t some kind of greater cosmic energy at play on the planet. Here’s an example.

Saturday night, after helping out at a Christmas party, my son and I went to gather Arthur and my daughter from the in-laws, where they were waiting for us. I couldn't help but mention to the group, but specifically my mother-in-law, how I had been interviewed for articles in three prominent IT journals, had my own article being published in another IT magazine, and was being quoted on two major software vendors sites, all in connection with some research I had done lately. I didn't get to finish telling her, though, for about 30 seconds into it, my mother-in-law cut me off (she heard the word IT, and this must have triggered something for her) to ask me if I knew how to reset a password on Windows XP. No one else in the room, including Arthur, seemed to notice the virtual slap in the face, and I went home, deflated, in a huff. Sadly, I took it out on Arthur.

On my third glass of red wine, I sat on the couch and took out my frustrations. "If this happened to anyone else in the family, it would be a big deal. But it happens to me, and no one cares. Not your mom, not any of our siblings, not even my mother has acknowledged how cool this is. If this happened to your brother, your mother would have taken out an ad in the paper. Apparently an article about me isn’t as big a deal as I thought it was." Poor Arthur.

I was starting in on a crying jag, when my mom called (unusually late, for her) to ask how the party had gone. At the end of the call she said, "Oh yes, I meant to tell you that I read the links you sent me and that’s pretty neat that you've got your names in lights like that. You must be very proud. Good job!"

I smiled. Arthur swears he didn't put her up to it. I guess Moms just know when you need an ego massage. Well timed, Mom. Thanks very much!