The alchemist was my first Paulo Coelho, and the theme, which was repeated often throughout the book was "when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." It's repeated often and after a few books, it gets trite.
But the message is something I have always secretly believed in. The power of serendipity.
Even though it bites every logical bone in my body, I can't shake the sense of meaning in coincidence. Especially in chains of strange coincidence that change one's life.
Meeting Mikko was one such chain of stupendous coincidence.
It started with Dima - the Russian tourist come busker I met at a bus stop while leaving Heini's house. He had a guitar, & I can't resist a man with a guitar. So I struck up a conversation with him. We jammed our way into the city & did a pretty good rendition of Agua de Beber. So I promised a repeat session should I ever happen to bump into him again.
The reason I was in Finland at all, considering I had burned almost all my bridges leaving 5 years earlier, was that my grandpa had died. I was there for a funeral. I wouldn't have come back otherwise as I was still afraid I'd have a run-in with the shady types that I'd been involved with before, but that's another story, for another day. The point is I was a bit hesitant to venture out into the Helsinki night.
My friend, Mimosa, managed, nonetheless, to convince me to skip work and come out with her on the night of the arts, which is a yearly event in August when the public is encouraged to engage in all forms of public artistry.
I was leaving Finland again in three days anyhow. What the hell. And Emma's little brother was doing a gig at Baker's pub, which is why we were on that street corner (having missed the gig anyhow due to a sudden urge for beer and fries but still intending to show up late for the sake of good form) where Mimo bumped into Kirsti's ex and his friend, leaving me to my own devices.
Lo and behold! There was Dima to my right, and the promise of Agua de Beber. So I sang. How fitting is it that I should meet him for the very first time as I am singing the very song that I think of as my own personal theme song?
Your love is rain
My heart's a flower
I need your kiss
Or I will die
And so I invited the soon-to-be love of my life to my farewell party, flirtatiously scrawling my name and number on his arm in eyeliner, thinking I'd fool around a bit. Little did I know. Hello. And "no, you are not allowed to play with this one" said Kirsti. Fine, then. Bye.
Perhaps it wasn't the Universe so much as my friends... no wait, Emma - that conspired to bring us together. Despite the fact that, because of Kirsti, our story began with farewell. That's another story, too. But this story - the story of how we met - had so many guns on the wall that had to be fired. My grandpa's death, Dima, Emma's little bro's gig, a sudden an inexplicable desire for beer and fries, Kirsti's ex.
And I am in the middle of a series of strange and magic-like coincidences right now... and no, there is no logic, just a strong sense of a colossal domino effect to come! It can bite at my logic all it wants, but for now I am happy!
Labels: coincidence, conspiracy, love, serendipity
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