It is said that a butterfly flapping its wings can trigger a tornado. A seemingly small action or occurrence can lead through a chain of events to a major response,
possibly in a distant location. In this chaos example the trigger event is harmless
in itself, but causes a catastrophic response. But lets look at a reversed scenario, a negative event - small or major, it doesn't matter, but negative - causing
a benefit, the proverbial silver lining. The greater the benefit, the better. Think of something good in your life, and retrace your steps to some mishap which
was an essential step along the route to arrive at your destination. The good thing may simply be being alive. Stories abound of people missing the train,
only to hear on the news later that the train was derailed, causing many casualties. When they realized they had missed the train, they were probably upset,
but relieved later, not to be among the casualties (albeit, in this example, the relief would be tinged with sadness for the actual casualties). Nevertheless, it is
a silver lining, one less person a potential victim.
The chain of events which lead to me sharing my life dream with a delightful cat may have started with the Big Bang, and later with the primordial ooze, but in more
recent history, I can trace at least a few mishaps and syncronicities which were essential links in the chain leading to this beneficial outcome. That is not to say
my life would be worse, had they not occurred, but almost certainly very different, maybe worse. Probably not as good as it is. Some of the mishaps were my own,
some of them someone else's (but not brought about by me, well, as far as I know).
Had I not been late for the train (going abroad), I would not have hurried so and left the keys in the ignition of my bike at the station.
Had I not left the key in the ignition, I would not have phoned an acquaintance who lived near the station, to go there and remove the key.
Had I not gone to his house to thank him after I returned, I would not have seen their likable half-grown cat, and would not have asked if there was an unwanted
sibling (I had just lost my beloved old cats a few months earlier).
It turned out the cat came from a nearby farm, and there was one more from that litter, not allowed into the house, living amongst cows, dung and tractors. It was also
love at first sight. So here we are, Blondie curled up on my bed, and me, a wood burning stove ablaze, with the rain beating down outside, wondering where she might
be now, thinking of what I would have lost out on, had I not left the key in the ignition.
Going back in time a few more years, another mishap and a few coincidences lead to me buying the woodland I now live in, and share with Blondie, who is in cat heaven (no cars
anywhere, quiet, lots of mices - thankfully she does not catch many, but she enjoys watching them). The mishap befell someone else, and I was miles away at the time, yet it had
a profound effect on my life. Thankfully, it was more of a nuisance mishap, not a serious one.
Had a young couple not broken down with their car 12 miles from my home, my then boyfriend would not have stopped to help them.
Had my boyfriend not helped them, they would not have invited him to dinner, and asked to bring his girlfriend with him.
had I not gone to their house, I would not have been inspired by her craft work to make papier mache goods, which I started to make for sale at craft markets.
Had I not gone to the craft market to sell, chatting to the lady next to me, I would not have found out about the arrangement she had with a friend living in the city,
who would stay at the house to look after the cats when they were abroad. As I was about to visit my parents, and was looking for a suitable person to look after my cats,
I got in touch with her friend.
Had the friend, who agreed, not gone for a walk down the valley and seen a badger, and told me about it, I would not have started to walk down the field myself to
spot one (badgers tend to have habits, and he told me where and when he saw the animal).
Had I not been bored with the same uneventful walk every evening, I would not have wondered further down the valley into the woods.
Had I not wondered into the woods, I would not have had the strange idea pop into my head if only this was for sale. I have spent half my life in the woods, never
having such a thought!
Had I not 'bumped into' someone in the lane on the way back, I would not have mentioned the strange thought about the wood, and he would not have said 'it is for sale'.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Going back another few years, a few more mishaps shaped my future, leading to the purchase of the above cottage, which was necessary for the subsequent events.
Because I lost out on a cheap, nice country semi-detached house I set my heart on, because I could not sell mine in time, I found a much better and cheaper house in a far
better location (the above country cottage). And someone else may have found their dream home, the one I was unable to buy.
And the cats which needed looking after later on? They came to me through a rather macabre twist of fate. They needed re-homing after the farm they came from was burnt down
after the owners were murdered.
And I would not have been looking for another cat, if my beloved Mingo had not been run over in front of the house, which is also the reason why I wanted to move away from there.
If I could go back in time, I would, of course, have wanted to prevent Mingo from getting killed, but things did not turn out as bad as they could have.
Next time you loose your keys, have a puncture, miss an appointment, miss out on a deal, don't be too dismayed, you may, as a result, meet the love of your life,
get the job you were really after, find happiness, anything, as anything is possible in chaos. And you never know how you may be an unwitting link in
someone else's chain. Even if you don't benefit from the mishap, someone else might. Every cloud has a silver lining.
If you have any stories of your own, please share them.
It's funny how you talked about a chain of events that
affect another, let me tell you about this little one.
I have a group on Flickr.com called "Tinkering ETC."
and one of my fellow tinkerers suggested a "group
project" and when I suggested we each make a paper
organizer for mail, magazines, plans, etc., he (Gerry)
suggested I look at your photostream to maybe get some
ideas. I was glued to the screen looking at the
pictures in your photostream when I noticed a link to
your website. The title of "Chaos with a Silver
Lining" caught my eye and I read it with silent
jubilation. I have bipolar disorder and depression and
have been having a tough time as of late and your
story just seemed to speak to me in a way that
transcends words, it gave me hope and a measure of
peace that I have been needing badly. For this I thank
you.
From what I have seen of our pictures, your work would
make a great addition to our groups. The other one is
"Workshops ETC." and is on Flickr as well.
Thank you again for the goodness you have given me
this day, I do appreciate it.
