Idiosyncratic external experiences

[Jechbi]

Wonder if anyone else has this type of experience:

There are a few things that keep on happening in my everyday life that are kind of funny (in a way) and hard to explain. Each event taken on its own is perfectly normal, but the strange thing is, it keeps on happening over and over, for years, to a point where now it's starting to make me laugh. My wife is equally befuddled, so I have some confirmation that this isn't just all in my mind.

One thing is: When I fuel my car, very often the gas pump receipt printer is not working, so I get a message that says: "See attendant for receipt." Then, if I want a receipt, I have to go inside the station. My wife says this has NEVER happened to her when she gets gas. Her pump always prints a receipt. Now when I pump the gas she's with me, she's come to expect that the receipt printer will not be working. Weird.

The funny thing is, she never keeps her receipt, but I always used to keep my receipt. At first, I'd go inside each time to get one from the attendant. Now I don't even bother.

There are a few other little things like that, too, that keep on happening again and again. Things that don't seem to happen to other people with any kind of regularity. They seem to be some kind of idiosyncracy in my life.

Anyone else have this type of experience? Thoughts? Kamma? Coincidence? Something else?

[Cittasanto]

did you annoy the attendant once ? LOL
touldn't like to guess but it is strange

[termite]

It probably annoys the attendant to have to print the receipt.

[AdvaitaJ]

Jechbi,

Do you associate this with your practice? I heard an American monk describing the benefits of a regular practice and, after the expected rational comments, he added "and you will find you have more good luck." Certainly, in your case, routinely choosing a paperless gas pump may just mean that you frequent a station with poor pump receipt maintenance. On the other hand, I have noted, over my few months of practice, that either a) I am experiencing more than my normal share of good fortune or, b) that I am now more adept at noticing what good fortune I've always had even more.


Regards: AdvaitaJ

[Jechbi]

Interesting point, AdvaitaJ. Thanks. I guess I've been looking at it more as coincidence, tho that probably doesn't hold water. What I have noticed is that more and more, I laugh about these things rather than get annoyed by them. In the broad scheme of things, I've been very fortunate on the whole. When these weird little patterns keep popping up, it's like life playing some kind of joke.

[nathan]

That is the best approach I find Jechbi. We are wired to recognize patterns, and patterns within patterns of all kinds. It can be a humorous and painful exploration! Take it all with a grain of salt. I watch my mind assemble it's patterns and I watch the universe put them together and take them apart just as fast. I take a similar view that at least as far as this game goes I will have to just keep watching all of it carry on until I am fully disillusioned with all of it and the mind is no longer compelled to fabricate in these ways.

It's cheap entertainment though.