Quick tale: On December 29th, 1996, I was driving home from a party with a pal at 3am. Throughout the evening, the concept of "fate" kept coming up in various conversations. We stopped at the grocery store on the way back to my apartment, and at the checkout line, I realized I should go back and get milk as well.

On the highway about 10 minutes later, we noticed strange lights in our lane in the distance, and before we could even comment on it, *KABOooOOoMMMMMM*, everything turned black, and now suddenly I can't see and I'm breathing in chalky shit in the air. Turns out a drunk guy was heading the wrong way up the highway northbound in our southbound lanes, swerving and avoided hitting people for three miles until he hit us head-on. He flew through his windshield (and survived); the chalky shit was from my air bag, and both of us had minor seatbelt lacerations but were otherwise ok. Once we got out of the car and turned to look, the whole thing was obliterated, I do not know how we survived it — the whole highway started to back up and maybe three minutes later about six ambulances were racing down the highway "just for us!" ..

Things really hit home for me when my friend playfully brought up the fact that earlier in the evening I decided to get milk while at the checkout, which likely accounted for a good three minute delay. The decision to get milk or not get milk would have completely changed the outcome of the car incident — could've avoided it entirely, could've died due to being hit at a different angle, 100 could'ves. But at the precise time when we make these mundane decisions such as going back to get milk, we never think about what lies ahead and how that action could affect everything in the future. We can't do that because it'd drive us completely bonkers and, of course, we can't predict the future, but ever since that day, I do stop and think about little choices I make and how things happen can partially be attributed to it. If anything, it's fun to look back in hindsight and connect domino effects in thinking one of my children might not exist if a certain computer in 2004 didn't take so long to boot up Windows... butterfly sneezes in the Himalayas, etc.