omen, n.
Something that happens when nothing happens. -The Devil's Dictionary
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Each of us can look back on our lives and recall pivotal points. Maybe they were incidents that didn't seem like much at the time. I know that I marvel at some of the offhanded decisions I've made that have led to major changes in my life.

I remember the day I arrived at my first duty station after military training in 1967. I was at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona. I had nothing to do and knew nobody to do it with when my new room mate, Sam Richardson, (how's that for coincidence?) asked if I wanted to go over to the M.A.R.S. radio station with him where he volunteered his time to help patch phone calls through between military families.

I decided it was better than looking at the walls and had three days before I had to report for flight duty.

After a couple of hours of watching Sam talk on the radio I grew bored and asked him what a guy did to meet women in Tucson. I knew the University of Arizona was there and that sounded promising. He didn't strike me as much of a lady's man but he grunted something about the dormitories being full of women and that was good enough for me.

I picked up a local phone book and found the women's dorms listed. I called the one named Saguaro Hall and my future ex-wife and the mother of my daughter answered the ringing pay phone as she walked past it in the hall outside her room. Of course neither of us knew that at the time.

Whether that was destiny, fate or karmic retribution for one or both of us remains to be seen. The union resulted in nine happy years and a great daughter so on balance it was a good thing.

Conversely, only months before when I was in basic training in Amarillo, Texas, it was my turn to answer a ringing phone. A sexy girl's voice was on the other end telling me how "cute" I sounded and wanting to know when I could come into town next. I had no intention of meeting the girl but strung things along to see if I could figure out what was going on.

I told her I would be coming into town the next weekend and she wanted to meet, of course. She named a particular rural bus stop on the route to town.

After "agreeing" to the meeting I went and had a talk with my drill instructor, what with them being known for their fatherly understanding. But my instincts proved correct. He told me a ring of gangs had been using such measures to have girls meet G.I.'s in convertibles at the bus stop, then drive them around the corner where their boyfriends waited to relieve the hapless G.I. of his money and his dignity. Many never reported what happened out of embarrassment.

Each day we make decisions that resemble a spin of the wheel of fortune. Nobody knows for sure where the arrow is going to stop.

I'm not certain that I truly believe in pre destiny. Whenever I critically examine the concept or talk to people who firmly believe in such things, I recall Kurt Vonnegut's observations in his novel, Cat's Cradle.

I believe it was in that book that he advanced the fictional principle of a "carass" which was defined as two or more people who had been drawn together by destiny in order to fulfill some greater cosmic purpose.

A carass was often comprised of people whose primary distinction prior to their meeting had been the improbability that they would ever have anything to do with one another. A queen, a stock broker, a professional bowler and a TV repairman could suddenly find themselves in the same carass when their shared elevator began plummeting to the ground. Their experience forged them together.

Having established the concept of a carass, Kurt went on to define the "false carass". This was any group of people who just thought they had been drawn together for some greater cosmic purpose. He included labor unions and armies in this category.

Wouldn't it be great if we knew when life's little twists were going to prove to be momentous in our lives? Maybe it wouldn't. We would probably grow distracted and blow it. I certainly would.

I know this. The next time I pass a ringing pay phone I think I'll just keep walkin' and let the next guy roll the cosmic dice.