luck and choices
Assuming everything stays on schedule, we’re filming our first video in 13 years this week (side note: none of us really liked the last one we did, and we all loved the first one). We’re rather fortunate to have a highly skilled producer this time around…as well as an abundant usage of fire, smoke and flares…so we expect it to turn out pretty stellar.
While I’ve been jogging for the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about choices and the mystery that is the unknown results of our actions. We’re pretty blown away by the whirlwind that’s happened as a result of releasing our new single. As it often goes, the melody for this song simply popped in my head one afternoon as I was pulling into my driveway, and I thought it was decent enough to commit to my lo-fi iPhone recorder app.
And now, a few months later, a famous (and extremely good-natured) celebrity has hired an A-list producer to film a big-budget music video for our song, which has now been adopted by my favorite hometown sports team.
What’s mind-boggling to me isn’t so much that all this has happened. I mean, it is rather incredible and it makes us feel completely honored and humbled. The thing I keep thinking about, though, is how easily this could have not happened.
How many times have I had the makings of a good idea but have been too busy (or lazy) to do anything about it? I could have easily let that distorted recording rot on my iPhone and not gotten around to doing anything with it, and this whole string of outcomes would never have happened. I would have once in a while imagined how cool it would have been to hear my song at a Sounders game, but I’d just dismiss it as unlikely and figure I wasn’t missing out on anything.
Beyond that, who knows why that melody appeared in my brain that day to begin with? Did it have something to do with the weather? Was is the level of caffeine in my system after breakfast? What if it had been raining that day instead of sunny? Would I have still heard those notes in my head? What if someone called me 30 seconds before I had gotten that idea?
I guess what I’m getting at is both how fragile our opportunities and how powerful our choices really are. Big accomplishments are often a combination of dumb luck and smart ambition (and some level of skill, hopefully). You might choose to go to a certain restaurant for dinner…and maybe you’ll end up meeting your soulmate there in the moment she takes your order. Your entire life after that moment could have been drastically changed…all because you decided on chicken wings over pad thai before you left your houses.
That is, as long as you do something about it. Dumb luck is what landed you at the bar & grill. Ambition is asking for the waitress’ phone number. Laziness is quietly going home and occasionally wondering if you should have taken action that one time.
Today was thursday. i should have been at work. for some reason, the local middle school and the elementary school decided to have awards day at the same time. my wife( being one person) could not attend both, my son and my daughters ceremony at the same time. so i took off to make sure some one was there to see my son get his a-b honor roll award. normally i would have went home after the ceremony and cleaned up, or took a nap. my son wanted to be checked out early, and so i did. since he did so good in school this year, and his birthday is over a month away, my wife and i decided to reward him with an early birthday present. a nintendo wii, that had been sitting in the closet for 3 months, waiting for time to pass. normally we could have played for hours, but because i took off work today, i had to go pick up my paycheck across town. my wife had forgotten something at the store, so wanted to come along so she could pick up some food coloring or something. so, after picking up our other two children from school, we went to get gas at the local kroger, and then would be on our way. while filling up, we ran into a friend at the pump, and delayed leaving about fifteen minutes. after saying good bye, we changed plans, and decided to go to get my check first, before going to the store, because after the conversation with my friend, we were afraid we wouldnt get there before they closed. the road i normally take, is closed for repairs, so we took and alternate route. on our way we were rear ended by a teenage driver, with no liscense, and no insurance. no one was hurt, neither car is beyond repair, but imagine…. if i went to work, or the schools checked with each other, if i didnt cave and let my son come home, if we had played one more game of wii bowling,or if my wife had picked up the thing she needed yesterday, if i would have taken that nap, or got the gas later, if i didnt talk so much, or if i didnt need the money so bad, if the bridge had not collapsed, or if the other driver hadnt got a text at that exact moment……our new car would not have a huge dent in the back side. we do have choices, but ultimately nothing is in our control. i wonder what replying to this blog will set into motion?
One can add up the minuses. another may add up the pluses. You spent time with your kid. Cool. Plus. You can go from there.
I met a girl I didn’t much fancy at a wedding. A friend of mine took exception to my good taste *picky-ness* and all but forced us at least become acquainted. She harassed me mercilessly to go to a religious service happening in our city so I eventually caved and went. After the service was over, I saw an old friend from highschool and as she was leaving, I went over to say hi. We exchanged pleasantries and as she was walking away, another young lady was walking into the building, looking to get information on a retreat that weekend. I recognized her from the music building at our local university so I engaged in friendly banter with her. Two years later, we are married and we have a son. =-o Just some random girl walking into a building! Yes, call it chance, call it destiny; it is bizarre how these events transpire.