Serendipity

Yesterday seemed to be full of serendipity. I decided Tuesday to go down to San Marcos next weekend to visit my mom and family. I received an email yesterday evening that one of my favorite Austin bands is going to be playing in Gruene, just a short ways away from San Marcos, that Friday night.

I didn't realize there was going to be a lunar eclipse until one of my coworkers mentioned it yesterday afternoon at work - to complain that we wouldn't get to see it because of the clouds we'd had all day. On my way home, just a few miles from the house, I noticed I could see the moon quite clearly, and it was almost fully eclipsed. It was a very pleasant night, so I sat in the front yard eating the dinner I'd picked up on the way home and watched the eclipse. It was incredible.

I'd been observing the eclipse for a while, and had just come back out from getting a beer to enjoy while watching the rest of it, when I noticed my neighbor had just pulled up next door. I invited her over to view the moon through my binoculars, and we started chatting. Turns out, she and her husband are getting divorced. We talked for quite a while about it, and then she told me she'd like to learn more about being vegan and what I eat.

This led to a discussion of the evils of our current systems of food production, and the misinformation we all grew up with. I suggested she read The China Study and recommended The American Vegetarian Cookbook from the Fit for Life Kitchen. I like to recommend the Fit for Life cookbook to people who aren't ready to go vegan yet, but want to cut back on meat consumption and try eating more vegan food, because it's full of simple recipes made from everyday ingredients you can find at just about any grocery store. It uses honey in some recipes, and I'm always sure to tell them honey is not vegan, but otherwise it's a great book for someone who just wants to learn some basic vegan cooking. And Half Price Books always seems to have one or two copies available for less than $10 - another plus.

If the clouds hadn't parted at just the right time, and I hadn't been outside viewing the eclipse, we may have gone weeks without catching each other and I may never have gotten the chance to plant the seeds with her that I was able to plant tonight. Serendipity.