+ x t

Intersections are everywhere around us.  Everyday I pass through at least 20 of them.  Usually they are the same ones, the ones around the area I live.  Sometimes, I go to a place where I pass 20 intersections in just one trip.  And, if I leave town, I get to to experience new and different intersections than the ones in my daily routine.

With people it is the same.  There are those whose lives I intersect everyday, those whose lives I intersect weekly, and those whose acquaintances I make only occasionally or only once.  Some people say the intersections are by divine appointment, others say intersections are completely random, still others have some existential combination of the two possibilities.

It seems that to some extent we choose the intersections we have on a routine basis.  At times, though, it is clear that outside forces make our paths cross with other people.  Opportunities are presented to us daily that are unplanned and planned.  The planned intersections comprise our daily routines for the most part although we plan trips and vacations (the occasional or singular intersections).  The unplanned ones comprise the occasional and singular intersections for the most part

As we construct our lives as adults, we know our personalities well.  So, we plan the intersections that are compatible, or compatible enough, for us to enjoy, risk, have adventure, achieve, and experience many other activities within the limits of our personalities.  Rarely, we are subjected to intersections beyond any control, but we keep these to a minimum if at all possible.

So, I'm not much of a believer in the divine appointment idea for daily activities, maybe for the rare ones, but not for most.  We are all control freaks when it comes to establishing routines that match our personalities so that we can have maximal enjoyment of our lives.  And, for those intersections that have happened that we didn't control and that have dropped from our routines, there are three choices for us.  We can discard them, treat them as part of our normal experience, or consider them sacred.  Sacred ones are few, but I am thankful to have had them.