Hey… you know, you really shouldn’t be here.
Think about everything that had to happen – exactly as it happened – in order for you to be alive, sitting here reading this right now. Even though I only got a C+ in Stats 101, I’m pretty sure that statistically speaking, the probability that you and I would come together here today is highly unlikely.
Go back in time 100 or 1,000 or 1,000,000 years, and try to imagine the unimaginable – the countless billions (trillions? quadrillions? frillions?) of events that had to occur exactly as they did so that you could be here right now. One missed traffic light. An extra minute on the phone. A left instead of a right. Everything changes.
Drunks shouldn’t swim
A young woman has plans to take a bus and meet some friends down by the river on a hot summer day. But something comes up last minute, and she cannot go. She bumps into her sister on the way out the door, and offers her the ticket and the chance to have a little fun. The sister declines at first, but then suddenly changes her mind, saying, “Ah, why not?” Later that afternoon, she meets a nice young man.
A few months later, they marry. The following year, they have twins – a boy and girl. Neither survive past age two. But a few years later, they have another baby boy. And he grows up to be my father.
A man heads home on a Friday evening after a long day’s work. He runs into an old friend who invites him to have a drink at the local gin mill. One drink becomes two, three, four… Hours later, the drunken man thinks it a good idea to go for a midnight swim in the swelling river despite the approaching storm – like only a drunken man would. The man is not a good swimmer. His lifeless body is fished out of the water the following day.
His widow is left behind to struggle for survival. She raises four children alone. Among them, a two-year old girl who would someday grow up to become my mother.
Winning the Cosmic Lottery
The people who came before us suffered and sacrificed. They got just lucky enough and endured just long enough so that chance could work its magic and we could join in the game for a short while.
The world is far from perfect, but I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be right now. Cheap, readily available vaccines and antibiotics now prevent and cure illnesses that would have killed you just 50 years ago. Sending a message to loved ones cross-country used to take months, while video teleconferencing now brings people together instantly. Traveling between Europe and America once took weeks, and you’d be fortunate to survive the trip. It now takes just a few hours (but the food is still awful).
I feel freakishly lucky to be here now, enjoying the ride. And every time I hear my children laugh, I am reminded of this. The next time you’re feeling down about yourself, about life, remember this:
The fact that you’re here right now is nothing short of a miracle.
The journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very badly. Wars, disease, asteroids, grizzly bears – so many things can go wrong. But so many things had to go right, and did go right for us to be here right now.
Yes, things don’t always go as planned. So what? Pick up the pieces, learn from your mistakes and move forward. You are here and it is now. All the rest is fluffery. So, the next time you catch yourself complaining, stop, and give thanks for having won the cosmic lottery.
But whatever you do, just don’t waste this amazing gift…
Tagged as:
bears,
gratitude,
life lessons,
perspective,
self improvement,
whining
Sure, there are some downsides to working for yourself. The company picnic isn’t much fun. I have to remember to pay quarterly estimated taxes. And since I work from home, I have a tendency to go absolutely batshit crazy during these long New England winters. Come February, I begin to feel a bit like Jack in The Shining. My wife has been known to hide the rope and bullets.
