Thanks for the engaging writing and weaving your personal story so elegantly.
My life is full of such examples, maybe because I look for them, maybe because that’s how I make sense of the world or maybe because a butterfly somewhere long ago, said so.
2011, my five year old stepdaughter sings at a cafe as we wait in line. An old gentleman hears her, looks up and he complements her melodic voice. We start talking and it turns out he writes children’s books. Oh, that’s been my dream. To write for children, I say. I am a filmmaker first though. Oh, really, he engages me further in a southern accent. My son is just starting out in film. Would you consider mentoring him?
Twelve years later his son and I are partners in a film company. All because of the song of a child...who happened to be in a joyful mood that morning, sharing her voice with the world.
Spencer….I am glad you are Spencer, and not Zachary. Your name suits you. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. I am connected to you firstly, through Heather Marie, my daughter, your partner, and I value that connection. Again, the way you weave your life experience, and important people in your life, with the topics you are writing about, is masterful. Loved learning more about your interesting family history, and the strong, resourceful, and remarkable humans related by blood, and traits!
Your mention of butterflies is another connection, as I raise Monarch Butterflies, and have released more than 100 so far. My interest in those began in childhood, when my mom, Heather Marie’s Mimi, used to raise a few Monarchs for her fourth grade class each year. We helped her by finding Milkweed, finding eggs and caterpillars, and making sure they stayed fed while the kids learned about their life cycle.
Butterfly effect connection for sure. Even a connection with me. I am connected through your mention of Ray Bradbury.
Last week I thought of the mini series The Martian Chronicles and was curious what the story was behind it. So I Wikipeded about the series. Turns out it was written by Ray Bradbury. So I start reading about him. It turns out he inspired by a book written by Andrew Sherwood called WINESBURG, Ohio.
A fictional town for the book but is an actual town that I had just driven through that is roughly 10 miles from where I live!! I had driven through the town to get to Wilmot, Ohio to pick up an Amish man to give me an estimate for some work.
So about a month ago I drive through the town WINESBURG, that is a fictional story to a book that Ray Bradbury liked, who was mentioned in your post about the belt buckle.
I really enjoyed this article, impinging as it does on some of the universe's most intriguing mysteries, related to free will and randomness and fatality. With your references to rabbinic thought, I was surprised that you did not mention my favorite enigmatic talmudic statement: Everything is foreseen, but we have free choice (Pirkei Avot 3:15) -- or at least Isaac Bashevis Singer's clever observation: "Of course I believe in free will -- I have no choice." I myself refuse to settle on any position for the mystery. I think the universe is much more interesting with questions than with answers.
Thanks for the engaging writing and weaving your personal story so elegantly.
My life is full of such examples, maybe because I look for them, maybe because that’s how I make sense of the world or maybe because a butterfly somewhere long ago, said so.
2011, my five year old stepdaughter sings at a cafe as we wait in line. An old gentleman hears her, looks up and he complements her melodic voice. We start talking and it turns out he writes children’s books. Oh, that’s been my dream. To write for children, I say. I am a filmmaker first though. Oh, really, he engages me further in a southern accent. My son is just starting out in film. Would you consider mentoring him?
Twelve years later his son and I are partners in a film company. All because of the song of a child...who happened to be in a joyful mood that morning, sharing her voice with the world.
Spencer….I am glad you are Spencer, and not Zachary. Your name suits you. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. I am connected to you firstly, through Heather Marie, my daughter, your partner, and I value that connection. Again, the way you weave your life experience, and important people in your life, with the topics you are writing about, is masterful. Loved learning more about your interesting family history, and the strong, resourceful, and remarkable humans related by blood, and traits!
Your mention of butterflies is another connection, as I raise Monarch Butterflies, and have released more than 100 so far. My interest in those began in childhood, when my mom, Heather Marie’s Mimi, used to raise a few Monarchs for her fourth grade class each year. We helped her by finding Milkweed, finding eggs and caterpillars, and making sure they stayed fed while the kids learned about their life cycle.
Thank you for your writing!
Butterfly effect connection for sure. Even a connection with me. I am connected through your mention of Ray Bradbury.
Last week I thought of the mini series The Martian Chronicles and was curious what the story was behind it. So I Wikipeded about the series. Turns out it was written by Ray Bradbury. So I start reading about him. It turns out he inspired by a book written by Andrew Sherwood called WINESBURG, Ohio.
A fictional town for the book but is an actual town that I had just driven through that is roughly 10 miles from where I live!! I had driven through the town to get to Wilmot, Ohio to pick up an Amish man to give me an estimate for some work.
So about a month ago I drive through the town WINESBURG, that is a fictional story to a book that Ray Bradbury liked, who was mentioned in your post about the belt buckle.
Odd coincidence?
I really enjoyed this article, impinging as it does on some of the universe's most intriguing mysteries, related to free will and randomness and fatality. With your references to rabbinic thought, I was surprised that you did not mention my favorite enigmatic talmudic statement: Everything is foreseen, but we have free choice (Pirkei Avot 3:15) -- or at least Isaac Bashevis Singer's clever observation: "Of course I believe in free will -- I have no choice." I myself refuse to settle on any position for the mystery. I think the universe is much more interesting with questions than with answers.