Fortuitous Poetry

Unexpected Connection

Working on my next writing project, I had the honor of interviewing an authentic cowboy. He is

my husband’s cousin’s brother-in-law who lives in Montana. I reached out to this cousin to

schedule a time to talk with her and her husband about my project. Afterward, she suggested that

I speak with her brother-in-law Brian who restores motorcycles and has horses.



In between completing my lengthy to do list on a busy weekend, I seized a moment to call him to

schedule a visit or zoom meeting for some time in the future. I planned to leave a message if he

didn’t answer. To my surprise, he answered and said that I caught him at a good time, which after

talking with him, I realized how truly rare the moment was. He explained it was a fluke that I

called at that moment as he had just returned from a long trip. He works most days from five in

the morning until ten at night and was scheduled to leave for a month-long adventure early the

next morning.

Embrace Your Dreams: A Cowboy's Philosophical Call to Action

A few moments into our conversation he quoted Heny David Thoreau, 19 th century poet and

philosopher. I was taken aback since I never expected a “cowboy” to quote poetry on our first

phone call. He described his life as Thoreau said it best, “Most men lead lives of quiet

desperation…” We had a fascinating, funny, and highly philosophical conversation. If only we

had been sitting by a campfire under the stars with me wearing cowgirl boots would this have

been more perfect.

The next morning, I researched Thoreau. I knew he was a poet but wanted to get the quote right.

Pleased that I took the effort to do so, I found several other quotes worth remembering. The one

that resonated most with me: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you

have imagined.” Oh, that’s so good and spot on for my head space right now as I evaluate my

midlife dreams and where I want to be.

That same morning while driving, I listened to an audio book, “Learning to Love Midlife” by

Chip Conley. It’s a book offering a whole new mid-life mindset and who does the author quote?

Henry David Thoreau and the very quote the cowboy stated about living a quiet, desperate life,

and the very one I took a screen shot of two hours prior to this moment.

I am not a poetry fan per se. Although, I am nuts for a great quote or audio book. Those books

save my sanity during the long spells in my car. Sometimes I have six audio books on my library

bookshelf app at once. I choose them by topic, length of time, and my mood. Most are business

related, health, humor, inspirational, or self-help. But, never fiction, I can’t focus on my driving

while following along a storyline with characters.



Currently, the ones on my shelf range from knitting to midlife to having fun. So, when the author

voiced the very quote I had looked up that morning, a surge of adrenaline shot me straight up in

my seat. I had taken a screenshot of the quote at 5:30am and then the author repeated it at

8:15 am that very morning.

Those moments stop me in my tracks. And no matter what I am doing, I offer my gratitude for

perfectly timed connect the dots from the Creator who created the serendipitous moment unique

to me. If you’ve read anything I’ve written, you know these sequential fortuitous events happen

frequently. I’ve noticed the more I pay attention to them, verbalize my gratitude, and recognize

the cosmos accesses my calendar, the more they occur. Connecting fortuitous dots energizes this

midlife midwife.