I Do Not Believe in Random Events

In my last post, I spoke of three random strangers I had the good fortune to meet while running in Arizona. So, the rhetorical question is: Is it really random? Go ahead, Google random events and you will find a plethora about algorithmic probability, chaos theory (I like the sound of that) game theory, and too many more to list.

The randomness I’m wrapping my head around is not the scientific randomness, I took many statistics classes, and I understand the rolls of a dice. I’m thinking why do random or seemingly random events have some connected event.

I read that the Buddhist philosophy states that any event is the result of previous events (Karma), and as such, there is no such thing as a random event or first event. I’m willing to go out on a limb and say there is no last event either.

Which brings me to my Fourth of July vacation to Tampa. The trip started as most of my trips to Tampa start, a flight on US Air at the crack of dawn from Reagan National Airport. If I check in online early enough I am most often upgraded to first class (statistics). So it was on Friday July2nd.

Keep in mind that when I travel, I sleep like a baby in a car seat. Blindfold on, bite guard in and a reminder to my seat mate (s) to nudge me if I snore or drool. This Friday was different. I was sitting next to a very nice guy (saw that coming didn’t you?). I was comfortably snoozing prior to take off when he ordered a coffee and Bailey’s. I don’t know what part of that made me pop my eyes open, but I’m thinking it was the thought of a coffee and Baileys. Well I’m not much of a Baileys drinker…too darn sweet for me, so I ordered a bloody Mary and we began to chat.

I know his first name is John and he has a house in Apollo Beach. He has a Ph D. in Engineering from MIT, Undergrad and masters from Cornell. Needless to say we found plenty of common ground to cover in the two-hour flight. Did I say he was cute? Not the package I would normally expect to see with his degrees…I would have expected Poindexter, with tape on his glasses, scuffed shoes, you know, the nerdy type….

No, he was not a nerd at all. We talked about motorcycles, absentee homeownership, his kids, my cat, and the usual topics one might toss back and forth on a plane. I really wanted to nap, but it has been so long that I had a seatmate worth chatting with that I decided to forego the nap. As the flight was ending we swapped phone numbers with an offer to take me out on his Harley. I had to smile as we were waiting for our luggage. He was dressed in jeans, a nice black jacket, some really cool shoes, white shirt and a big Harley buckle. That was so random with his attire that it did make me smile. We chatted while waiting for luggage and headed our separate ways.

From that moment forward I had a crazy schedule to get to the Motor Vehicle Administration to get my wayward license replace with my correct address. Ok, I’ll backup here. I was in Atlanta a few weeks back and lost my drivers license (this story will appear in a future blog). In Florida you can go online and indicate you have moved and a new license will be sent to that address. So, I had the license forwarded my niece with instructions to mail it to me ASAP upon receipt. She did, but I still had to have it changed back to my address for a litany of reasons. So, I trudged into the Department of Motor Vehicles (thank God I’d set an appointment) with a stack of documents attesting to my citizenship and Florida homeownership. Bingity Boom, 35 minutes later a new license with my correct address.

So off I headed to my home (also another long story to appear in future blogs). I made the rounds of the grocery store and a visit to my sister’s Sue’ house for the evening where we shared a few cocktails and chatted with friends on Face Book. I did tell her about the stranger named John and that I might get a Harley ride over the weekend. It would be a bonus to the plans made with my family.

Saturday I managed to get a 9-mile run in. I usually run the 3-mile loop in the neighborhood and do the loop 2 or 3 time depending on the miles I want on my feet. Admittedly, I was feeling lazy, so instead of the loop, I headed down the main road which I knew would give me about a 9 mile round trip. Once I committed I had to get to the end and then there is no choice but to turn around and head back from whence I came.

I was pooped and a little dehydrated. I did not take my running belt, which usually has some cash and my phone in it. So, I couldn’t purchase water from any of the places I passed in my run. I was feeling pretty overheated when who pulls up next to me about a quarter mile from the house? My beautiful niece Jackie. She, along with her mom, had been driving the loop looking for me. They were concerned, but not ready to call the cops. The funny part was that I was hoping one of them would randomly drive by so I could hitch a ride. I was very, very dehydrated. So, did wishing make it happen? Was it a random event? Was it an event triggered by a previous event? I said I would be running the loop…who knows…all I know is I am darn glad Jackie came to my rescue.

I did text my new friend John to see if a Harley ride was on the books. He did follow-up and let me know it would depend on the weather. I gave it no more thought and Jackie and I started showering and preparing for our evening with the family. I was very surprised to find a missed call and a message from John when I got out of the shower. So I followed up and he was on his bike wanting to know if I could head out. I had to turn it down because of the tight timeframe. Boo hoo! That would have been some fun!

The night with the family was another memorable Cooksey/Johnson event. The theme of the night was to use the word awkward based on some comments posted to Face Book. That is going to be the subject of another blog, so I’ll fast forward to Monday.

Jackie and I headed out for a trip to the mall for retail therapy. Another overcast day, so shopping was the perfect way to spend the day. I was driving my rental car from Alamo. Alamo cars are picked up at the airport but not at the terminal. Jackie and I had a late lunch and finally headed home so I could catch my 7:20 flight home. We walked in the house at 5 and I threw my purchases into my bag, looked at my ticket and panicked because I had a 6:10 flight.

It was 5 pm. I said a quick goodbye to Jackie as I rushed out the door. I yelled, “I love you and tell your mom I said goodbye”! So, I’m calculating in my head. I have to gas the car and drop it off campus at the airport, take the shuttle to the terminal and make it through TSA after checking a bag. Could I do all that in under an hour? Well, if I couldn’t, I knew there was a 7ish flight, but I wanted to get home…

Traffic was crawling outside my neighborhood, but I got gassed up and on the highway where there was smooth sailing, and a speeding Widow. I got to Alamo and since the car was prepaid I didn’t have to wait for the attendant. I ran to the shuttle and explained my dilemma and the shuttle driver put me on the shuttle and drove away before anyone else boarded (they weren’t that close, he wasn’t mean, don’t judge). Not only did he deliver me to me to the US Air terminal, he grabbed my suitcase and ran it in for me.

I was pleased to see there were no, zip, nada, zilch customers at the counter. How random! A great US Air agent named Todd was there and began to work with me. He told me it was too late to check my bag, but he could make a one-time exception for me to have 3 carry on pieces. Cool! He stapled his card to my suitcase, booked me in and with boarding pass in hand, he and I headed to the gate.

Now, in Tampa you take a shuttle to the Boarding Gates and you have to have a TSA agent check your ID. Only passengers board the tram unless you have dispensation from Janet Napolitano. Todd has permission because of his “status”. Off we go to the snaking line at security. Dear God, my name is being paged and I’m creeping through the line. Todd is on the other side waiting for me and counting down the minutes on his fingers. I kept jumping up and down so he could see me in the line. Finally! The TSA agent passes me through, my bags are on the belt, I see a flight in my future when I get selected for that damn machine that will x-ray me and show me naked to my fellow passengers.

At that point, I would have stripped my clothes off to get on the plane…well perhaps not, but I was so close, yet so far. And finally, I’m through, I’m free to fly, I’m at gate 84. Todd is telling me I’ll make it with a minute to spare and I start running like I see a medallion in my future. With sandals in hand and roll aboard screaming on the floor, I run a sprint like I’ve never run before. It was rather euphoric! Holy cow, I’m there running down the ramp! I leave my bag with the gate agent and feel like a runner sliding into home plate as I jump into seat 2C, first class, aisle, no window. Eureka, I made it. Literally, before my belt is buckled, the door is slammed shut and the announcements begin. What a rush. Sure, I could have waited for the later flight but it had a layover and I’d have seen home about midnight. And the challenge to make the flight seemed to outweigh anything else at that time. See, all this had to happen as the first event for the random event to occur.

My adrenalin was pinging off the charts and I spent most of the flight chatting with another seatmate. I kept telling him about Todd, the counter agent, and how I needed to make sure I followed up with him to thank him. I kept hoping his business card would still be on my luggage when I retrieved it. Naturally, my suitcase did not make my flight. It took the flight at 7. Tuesday, I retrieved my suitcase from Reagan Airport and much to my disappointment; Todd’s card was not attached.

I intended to reach out to US Air today to see if I could track down Todd and reward him with the Above & Beyond Certificates I have for US Air employees who provide excellent service. I have several I want to send his way. Unfortunately, a random fatal error deleted all the phone numbers from my phone and the day was spent trying to retrieve names and numbers from family and friends to reload.

So, there I was riding to work this morning and a text popped up on my screen. I knew from the message it was John from Apollo Beach. His number too had been lost to the “fatal error”. I’d not even thought about him or his number, as I was really concerned about immediate family, friends, neighbors and the like.

It was a simple text asking about my flight home. I responded late this afternoon that it was challenging because I’d almost missed it and that my luggage took a separate flight. He then responded that his trip to Pennsylvania today ended the same way. He was there, and his luggage was not. I followed up remarking that I might have jinxed him by mentioning my luggage debacle.

Within minutes, my phone rang and it was John from Apollo Beach (John FAB). He was curious about my near miss. I told him it was a blonde moment and we had a good laugh about my error. As I was mentioning Todd the counter agent, John FAB said he knows him because he flies so much from Tampa and went on to describe Todd to a T.

Here it is, are you ready???

No random events. John FAB will be back and forth from Tampa numerous times this month and he said he would get Todd’s information for me so that I can thank Todd. I can pay it forward; I can let an airline employee know that we are not all haters. I always say US Air is my favorite broom. So, is this the good Karma for speaking highly of US Air? I don’t know.

The Buddhist philosophy states that any event is the result of previous events, and as such, there is no such thing as a random event or first event. Events happen and it may be days, weeks, months or years before the connection of the events merge. In this instance it was a short five days. I say, “Bring on the randomness that is so ever present in my life because I cannot wait to see what ‘s up next”!

Stay tuned for the next random posting.