Weird Stuff Happens

Anomalies are events that depart from the norm--blindsiders and stunners that fall from the sky like a loose coconut. We ignore many anomalies, but others are so impactful that they knock us to the ground and leave us dazed. This morning I ran to the campus mini-observatory where earlier this year a poor graduate student was discovered dead, an apparent suicide. Premature death is anomalous in the most tragic way. I felt the tiniest trace of fear as I jogged around the isolated observatory; the fear was that I would see a dead body. My selfish concern was not for the imaginary dead person, but for myself--for the nonzero chance that I would have to deal with sudden emotional trauma. Anomalies, real and imaginary, can be intensely threatening, and so we sometimes try to avoid them or look past them: "That really didn't happen," we might say silently, and then move on. But what about good surprises, windfalls, blessings--even luck? Can't anomalies also present fantastic opportunities? Any given day can introduce a person, event, or insight that can transform us forever and for good. Sondre Lerch sings it happily, "Be prepared to be surprised!"