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.











