Butterfly Effect

It is always amazing to think how the littlest things in life can have a huge affect on the present day and future lives. Actions from people we knew once upon a time or not even know at call can drastically impact your life. I was thinking about this phenomenon today as I went out to lunch to celebrate my hubby's birthday.

The mere chance that Deo and I even met is remarkable. Being from Ohio, I always have to answer to question how I got out to Arizona. The short story is my brother was dating a girl in High School. Her parents owned a house here in Tucson and traveled here a lot and her two older brothers attended the U of A. As my brother and his girlfriend entered their Senior year of High School, they both decided they were going to attend the U of A together. My brother and his girlfriend left and all was dandy. During my Spring Break in High School, I visited my brother at the U of A and I was sold. Coming out to Arizona in March from Ohio...anyone would be sold. It was warm and sunny and beautiful here. I realized that if I stayed in Ohio and went to school, I would get a job in Ohio after graduating, and end up staying there forever. What other time could I go and live in another state for 4 years of my life? This was Phase 1.

Phase 2. When I visited my brother back in High School, he was living at Babcock. He had friends at Palm Shadows which is right next door and once occupied by the U of A as dorms. I thought they were so that they were little apartments. I could have my own bathroom and kitchen and wouldn't have to share an entire room to 3 or 4 girls. So when I made my housing choices, I picked Palm Shadows. At Palm Shadows some people from Washington who all went to the same High School. One of these friends, who didn't even live at Palm Shadows, was Ricky. Ricky and I became pretty good friends.

In the beginning of my junior year (1st semester of the Business Cohort), I pretty much lived at the computer lab with my groups. Ricky had changed his major to Business and was trying to catch up on some classes by taking them at Pima. He was taking Business Math at Pima. One late night at the ILC (computer lab), I was working with my group and trying not to doze off. I was scanning the room and noticed Ricky 3 levels down sitting with a group. I sent Ricky a text message, "hey look up." He looked up and laughed as we waved to each other. I received a text message, "I'm here with my Business Math group. Do you think any of the guys are cute?" I squinted my eyes hard. It was late, I was tired after looking at the computer all day, and I didn't even have my glasses on. I noticed Ricky was sitting with 3 other guys; one in a white t-shirt, one in a gray sweatshirt, and one in a bright orange sweatshirt. I started to text, "oh yea...the guy in the gray shirt" when I got interrupted by my group member wanting an answer from me. Distracted I never send the text message. After I paid attention to my group for a few minutes, I pulled my phone back out and for some reason beyond me decided to text, "oh yea, the guy in the orange shirt." My phone vibrated, a message from an unknown number, "hey, this is the guy in the orange shirt." Needless to say, the guy in the orange sweatshirt was Deo. Phase 3 complete.

I think back all the time, had my brother not dated that girl in High School, had I not visited Arizona over Spring Break, had I not decided to go to the U of A, had I not selected Palm Shadows as a residence hall, had the "gray sweatshirt" text gone through, where would I be now. I realize you can do this with every situation in life and you could drive yourself crazy thinking about all the scenarios. I ponder, had every one of those events gone differently, would I still have met Deo somehow? The romanticized part of me likes to think yes, although the realistic side of me thinks hell no, I would be living a completely different life. Maybe it would be better, maybe it would be worse. All I do know is I am extremely happy right now with the choices I have made and couldn't be happier with what the butterfly effect has brought me.