Kristen Havens: Writer, Ghostwriter, Developmental Editor – Los Angeles, CA
As a rational human being, I don’t subscribe to magical thinking. I know my thoughts don’t make things happen, and of course I don’t believe that coincidence is anything other than random chance. I’m a human, though, and humans like to look for magic; finding explanations is a pitfall of being an intelligent creature with a brain that seeks out patterns.
I’m very pleased to share that my essay How Books Find Me has just been published at Shelf Pleasure, a new site for women who love reading. This essay is the culmination of several years of pondering the serendipity of book buying–why it is that the right book always seems to find me at precisely the right time. Enjoy!
“I’d like an everything bagel with lox and. . .what?”
“Sorry. We just ’86ed the everything bagel.”
“Okay. How about one of your new spinach bagels?”
“. . .”
“Really, that too?”
“Yeah.”
“OK. Do you have any sun-dried left?”
“Do we have any sun-dried?”
“A few.”
“OK. I’ll have that with your olive cream cheese.”
“Um . . .”
“Oh, come on!”
“Sorry. I don’t even know how we stay open!”
“Plain is fine. And lox and capers and tomatoes and everything, just no onions.”
“’86 the sun-dried!”
“Done!”
“Looks like you got the last one!”
Fist-pump.
Some time later.
“Where’s the lox?”
“It’s right there.”
“Did you get any?”
“A piece about this big.” [Indicating half-inch chunk of lox in air with thumb and forefinger.]
“I guess they ’86ed the lox, too.”
“And the lettuce.”
“At least the coffee’s good.”
End scene.
As is so often the case in real life, the ending is not satisfactory. The bottom of my coffee cup should have dissolved then. Danged reality!
(P.S. I did not say “Oh, come on!” My actual words were “Oh, really? That’s okay.” Politeness makes for boring copy.)
— Kristen