I really enjoyed the movie "Stranger Than Fiction." I liked the concept of a fictional character becoming self aware. I don't think I'd like to find out that I am actually a fictional character in someone else's (extremely boring) story. But this morning I had one of those moments that make me stop and question reality. It was almost too weird to call coincidence.I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection. It's one of those lights that give you time to look around because you sit there for several minutes. The song on the radio was "Superman" by Five For Fighting. Just as they sang following verse, I noticed a red balloon flying up into the sky about a block away.
I’m only a man
In a funny red sheet
I’m only a man
Looking for a dream
I thought it a rather appropriate image for the lyrics. Then I thought but it would be more appropriate if they were playing "99 Red Balloons" (or "99 Luft Balloons" for you purists). "Superman" wrapped up and I heard:
You and I in a little toy shop
Buy a bag of balloons
With the money we've got
Set them free at the break of dawn
'Til one by one, they were gone
Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message
"Something's out there"
Floating in the summer sky
99 red balloons go by
I looked for a logical explanation. Maybe I heard the DJ say they were going to play that song. But he hadn't. In fact, I turned to the radio station just as the previous song started. I decided not to question it.
The balloon flew out of sight, the light turned green, and I drove on, tapping the steering wheel in time to the song. It was my moment of Zen.
2 comments:
If I didn't know you better I'd say you were making that up.
What a rare and glorious coincidence. I wouldn't be able to drive away from that without feeling like something was going on behind the scenes.
Maybe there is...
I hadn't had deja vu in years, but I've been smacked in the face with it twice in the last month. Guess you can just chalk it up to a glitch in the matrix.
There must be a big glitch in the matrix, because I had another radio coincidence. Steve Miller's Abracadabra came on the radio. Years ago, in my home town, one of the radio stations was playing that song when their tower caught fire and burned down. The song ended and there was just dead air. When the song came on the radio the other night, I remembered that incident and even thought, "Uh oh. That song's bad news." Right after I thought that, the song stopped suddenly and there was just dead air for several minutes. The song came back and played out. But it was pretty weird for a bit there.
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