Today, we have the honor of hearing from Chris Pratt, a skilled (over qualified) bridge builder who embodies courage, dedication, and a willingness to do the hard work required to succeed. His writing reflects his insight and clarity of thought, drawing from the paths he has followed and those he has discarded along the way. In light of the latest IPCC report and news headlines — a world where the marching bands have stopped playing, and we are forced to rethink, Chris's bravery, honesty, humor, and perseverance in charting a new path will undoubtedly inspire and challenge us. We are grateful for his contributions and eagerly anticipate his future insights as we work together to build bridges towards a healthier future.
I never know when or why I sometimes get up on the wrong side of the bed. It is as fickle as New England weather in March. Without the benefit of a forecast, I stand up and the world seems tilted at a weird angle or is it listing to one side like a boat in rough seas. I decide not to make my bed. A water glasses inexplicable slip from my hand and smash in the sink just before the coffee beans spill on the floor. I am running late and out of toilet paper. It is raining. People are especially rude and inconsiderate, and I find everyone irritating.
I think I have managed to restart the day, but it keeps veering off course. The steering wheel is just loosely attached to the wheels.
The day must go on and I push through my window work, not Microsoft windows, but real hard wood windows, that you look at reality through. It is raining so I decide to work from the back of the van. I put a good-sized piece of plywood on the roof so I can stand outside the van without getting wet. Yes, that is a smart thing to do, never thought of that before. We finish the job, and it is past our lunch time, so we are eager to eat. Ghazi takes the van and I get into my car. Man, we are hungry. As I pull out of the driveway to follow Ghazi back to the shop, I notice that the plywood is still on top of the van. He is driving away fast with a loose piece of plywood on top of the van. I speed up and get close to him, but not too close in case it flies off onto me. He doesn’t hear me honking or see me flicking my lights at him.
At this point my mind sees two parallel universes or maybe I should say Metaverse, because they are not real yet and can exist simultaneously in my mind. In Metaverse one, the plywood flies off the van and lands on the road, I pull over and pick it up and put it in the back of my car and we thank our lucky stars no one was coming in the other direction. In metaverse two, a car is coming in the other direction, and it is at that exact moment that the plywood lifts off the roof and drifts over to the other lane and lands like a guillotine on the hood of the oncoming car. The oncoming car is of course a very, new very expensive European car.
Some days you just get out of the wrong side of the bed, which means you are manifest metaverse two into reality universe one.
I suppose there is a metaverse three, that I did not envision and did not manifest where the plywood goes through the windshield and kills the driver, and it is someone I know. If I had imagined that, it may have come to pass, but as it was, I sort of lucked out that the stars were not that misaligned and my imagination is not that dark.
I went over the events that preceded the “accident” and thought, if the weather was different, if we had gotten to the job earlier, if Ghazi was not fasting for Ramadan, if it was the other side of bed, someone answered the phone, or some else had not called. The chain of events that tip the scales of probability is absurdly complicated. In the end I could blame it on that damn butterfly in South America that veered left instead of right.
The question that came to mind after the incident was over, was why I didn’t have a desk job? Why not something safe, in a climate controlled cubical with a cushy chair where I could sit and glide my fingertips over the smooth keys of a lab top all day long living and working online. Not my fate or not in the stars again. I admit to having some agency here, preferring to be less of an observer of reality and more of a physical maker of realty. It is a big risk I cannot afford not to take, no matter what side of the bed I wake up on.
I love how this story highlights the role of chance and choice in our lives and the importance of finding peace with the uncertainty of the world.
The next time we are having one of "those days," let’s try to laugh together and remember it's all part of the crazy ride that is life. And who knows, maybe we’ll end up with an unexpected adventure or two along the way -- and with any luck enjoy the support of our community to laugh and cry together as we navigate these uncertain and epic times ahead.
Well said! And inspiring that Chris found the courage to chart his own authentic path.