Life can be totally random. That goes without saying and yet I just did. Every once in a while it is good to remember that things can happen by chance and that some things are just going to happen. I am not fatalistic.  I firmly believe there are many things within my control and I am more than happy to take ownership of my life. But, there are just some weird, random things that happen in life that can just give you a jolt or at least, amuse you a bit. Every once in a while I like to pause and reflect on such happenstance.

Many of us have traveled abroad and randomly met someone from our hometown, school or block. It happens.   Old social psychology research shows that people are connected via six degrees of separation. Nowadays, I believe that is a smaller number.   Thus finding a connection with people on a small island in Hong Kong while on vacation is not that surprising in the grand scheme of things. Of course, it has to be that you are willing to talk to people a bit in order to experience such random life moments.  I am a bit of a curmudgeon but my son is a chatterbox and chats up everyone where ever we go. I have learned to come to terms with his very outgoing nature. It can lead to some cool moments while traveling abroad. But let me return to some more specific random bits. Or, in particular, just a recent one.

I am on Facebook but do not feel the need to post something everyday.  When I do post something it is either a photograph of my son, cocktail or trip. Not much gets posted from my daily life. I do, when I can, look at other people’s posts and like them here and there. If you are on Facebook you know that it likes to remind you of things such as past posts and people’s birthdays.

Lo and behold just last month on January 12th, Facebook alerted me to the fact that four people I know were celebrating their birthdays that day.   Now, I ask: do you find that weird or super random? I do. Is there any meaning attached to such a random fact in my life? I don’t think so. It is just random. I did look up past historical events on January 12th. And it so happens that a long-distance radio message was sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time on a January 12th and the New York Jets won a Superbowl decades ago on such a date. Apparently, that win was considered a major upset. Sadly, a major earthquake hit Haiti on that date as well in 2010. Such a random date showcasing the ebbs and flows of life.

But back to randomness. It is all around us and can lad to interesting conversation bits and moments of reflection. I am looking forward to the next random bit to strike. What shall it be? What shall it be?