on universe moments
During the literature philosphy class I took in college, our professor posed a question: What percentage likelihood do you think that we are in a simulation? I said 75%, just as he said like, 0.003%, right?
It was then I realized that I have a slightly more spiritual outlook than the average peer in engineering. Luckily, I found a kindred spirit in my best friend (and eventual roommate), after both becoming obsessed with, and declaring to each other that we were obsessed with, being witches. We started an iPhone Note called ‘universe moments’, as documented proof of times when we thought the universe was talking to us, trying to tell us something unexplainable, or simply a coincidence too incredible to be logical. Here are some of my select favorites (the list is long):
- the first picture we took together ended up being in front of paintings called ‘lasting friendships’ and ‘sisters’
- in childhood, she dreamt about the guy I had my first kiss with in the same setting, before she knew about it
- code is our subconscious understanding of how the universe works
- i said something and siri started
-
she had a dream she failed the math test, and then she came to me (in her dream) and i told her it was 6am and she hadnt taken it yet, and then she woke up
Some of these are more unlikely than others, while some don’t really make sense out of context (#3, for instance). Of course, most of these can be explained, just by the virtue that we were best friends, both studying math and engineering, so our lives were bound to be somewhat entertwined. In fact, Siri starting is a common problem that most likely didn’t mean that the universe was trying to communicate to me. But I reminisce on our exercise as a beautiful, important endeavor. For years, we were alert to the serendipity of life, always looking for something that can be jotted down. Whether we met someone with the same birthday as us or accidentally scared each other in the hallway, good or bad, happy or unfortunate, it became something positively memorable because we could add it to our list.
The universe probably wasn’t sending us a sign when I saw an ad for the shoe brand the guy I was seeing liked, but that I’d never heard of. It was definitely the Instagram algorithm. But it made it onto the list, and I found that by embracing the coincidences of life without the need to explain why they were happening, we created a world filled with buoyant and child-like enthusiasm rarely found in the school of engineering. Most times, science asks us to be serious (solemn), but what if we were serious (intentional), or serious (thoughtful), or serious (investigative), or serious (dedicated)? What kind of joy do we introduce to our lives when we choose to document universe moments, instead of letting them pass us by in waves of logic?
Even though we don’t talk anymore, I keep this list in my Notes app to reminisce on a beautiful world and view on life we had created together. This inquiry into life -- into the simple beauty of happenstance -- is a dedication to observation, to abundance, to appreciation. I wish, for myself and for more people around me, to continue keeping track of our universe moments, so that we can continue to recognize and acknowledge the incredible improbability that is in the everyday. I hope you start a ‘universe moments’ list, and I leave you with mine:
mich universe moments (abridged)
-
finding out lilith and I share the same birth date after adopting her
- also me and lilith having the same personality
- working at my favorite place i’ve ever worked at after sending a cold email
- a paper keeps getting rejected, and I find out about a suitable conference 1 week before the deadline. it is accepted, and the conference is in said city ^
- (my mom and my youngest sister) being the same age gap as (my grandma and me)
- finding the name for my youngest sister
- running into a friend in a cafe in florence, italy even though we were both supposed to be in florence on another day
- living in the most perfect house found off of facebook marketplace
- my house address (reason why is redacted for privacy)
- every friend i’ve ever made :)
VIEWS MY OWN
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I’m a 20-something year old living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. I’m a lover of life - in particular, sunsets over the ocean, thunderstorms, niche playlists, long meandering novels, and all cats. Fieldnotes are detailed observations collected by anthropologists, sociologists, and ethnographers while situated in an environment of interest; the obsessive intensity to learn and grasp and make sense of phenomena during the collection of fieldnotes is the way that feels most reflective of the way I live life. My fieldnotes serve as reminders for me of how beautiful, short, and stunning life is.