There has been no shortage lately of moments I need to be in, completely. My work responsibilities tend to all happen at once unless managed well, and I've been paying little attention to work for what seems like months. So I've been spending a great deal of focused attention here, there, and everywhere... all at once.

I like this, it's not a bad thing, but it leads to making many car trips at high speeds while planning strategy for the ten minutes after you arrive, with voices on the phone or just the ones in your head. I can't make music compatible with that, so my car stereo was getting dusty from lack of use.

Finally, I realized I had time for deep breaths and slow-lane driving on the way to the next thing, while being distracted only in a recreational way. Stopped at the light before the on-ramp, I gave the stereo a gentle knuckle-rap in the place that gives it power. I reviewed the settings upon its face while it spent a second preparing to make with the pretty noises.

I realized I'd removed a CD days before, the last time I'd turned the stereo off, so the stereo was about to deliver random radio-station music. I had a moment to wonder what was about to play before it began, mid-song, but perfectly at the beginning of a line:

"Love is kind of crazy with a spooky little girl like you."

And perfectly at the end of the line, the knuckle jabbed again, and I made silence. I realized I was smiling and saying "Stop it." The traffic light turned green, and I pulled away from there.

I spent a recreationally distracted drive wondering which of many possible spooky agencies arranged that little omen. How long had it been waiting for its moment to arise? Was this, like, the twenty-fifth anniversary of something, or some sort of pre-anniversary of something completely else? Was someone, somewhere, smiling as some sense told her she was in my thoughts?

Whoever, whatever, wherever, whenever: thanks for the arrangement.

I shall have to find some metaphorical vase to keep it fresh in.