People have tried to make a lot of analogies for life over the years and so many of them fail to capture the entirety of the human experience. Despite what Tom Hanks might suggest, life is not like a box of chocolates. Nor is life a dance. Nor is it briefer than a ballad sung by legendary rocker Meatloaf. Life, if it can be compared to anything, is a giant domino effect.
This line of thinking ran through my mind today as I wondered what would have happened had I not moved to an apartment north of Tokyo.
- I would not have joined the church I attend, which means …
- I would probably not have met some remarkable people, which means …
- I would probably not have joined various Bible study groups, which means …
- I would probably not have had the opportunity to develop meaningful friendships with the people who I look forward to seeing several times each week.
The argument could be made that I could have met other people and joined other groups had I attended a different church, and that's certainly true. It would be a different domino chain, though. Because, had I not joined the church I attend, then …
- I would not have met Ayumi, as she was at a pet shop in Adachi, between the church and my apartment. Which means …
- I would not have learned that she dislikes public transit. Which means …
- I would probably not have invested the time and money at a driving school. Which means …
- I would probably not have earned a Japanese driver's license. Which means …
- I would almost certainly not have a bright yellow Daihatsu Copen.
Another argument could be made that I would have likely chosen to get a car if I had a different dog, as there are no vets around my house nor is it particularly easy to get around with public transit in that part of the country. This is a possibility, but it's not likely that I would have stumbled across the plethora of videos on YouTube featuring people driving their Daihatsu convertibles with a puppy in the passenger seat. Before settling on the Copen, I was seriously considering a Honda Fit or a Daihatsu Mira e:S as they are cheaper and easy to find at a dealership.
Of course, if I had not picked up a Copen, then I could not have …
- learned how to edit video
- started a YouTube channel
- attended ウーパーワールド, a car show dedicated to Daihatsu Copens
- attended ワンコペン, a get-together involving people who drive Copens and have puppies
- and so many other things …
Again, some might say that I could have brought Ayumi – or a different dog – to different events in a different car, and that I could have started a YouTube channel irregardless of the vehicle … but there are a whole lot of IFs required to make it all fit together. Had any one of the dominoes that resulted in a decision above not fallen, then this year would look different.
Heck, had I taken my sister's advice and returned to Canada for a couple of months from February, then pretty much nothing that happened this year would have come to pass as it would not have made sense to move into an apartment so close to flying half a world away.
Life sure is interesting.