Living alongside of people who believe in miracles, February 2022


All my life I've lived alongside of people who believe in miracles, and the longer I live, the more miracles I see. The sun came up this morning, which is as great a miracle as I can imagine, and in July of this year the lady who works at the counter at the QT where I get my coffee every morning will be having a baby, which of course is a miracle.

Miracles like this have happened all through history, and will continue. And if you're beginning to wonder what exactly a miracle is, well, it depends on the interpretation of a particular individual. And since the people that I see out on my rides every morning have always tended to agree with me that miracles happen every day, it does seem to beg the question as to what, exactly, is a miracle?

And it's like everything else, it varies from what most people would consider commonplace (like a baby being born, which is happening at an astounding rate even as I type this), or the sun coming up on planet earth, which has happened for billions of years (if I may quote Carl Sagan). To be fair, a miracle really shouldn't be an everyday occurance, it should be like the Red Sea splitting apart (which as far as I know, happened only once) to allow Moses and his people to cross.

But I need to get along with people, and I live in Arizona, which has a LOT of people who believe in miracles. My experience is that they're just hopeful, and have never really seen a bush that burns and doesn't consume itself, or their Uncle picking up a check at a restaurant, but I admire their optimism.

Of course, when a leap of faith makes them step out into empty air, then I'm saddened. I'm happy that they have faith that manna will fall from the heavens, but I hope that they get over to the grocery store, anyway. Relying on miracles to get you through day-to-day stuff just doesn't seem very sustainable to me.

So no, I really don't believe in miracles. I will use the term, which has a cheerful sound, and certainly sounds better than luck. I was lucky that I didn't get hit by that truck yesterday, or it was a miracle that I didn't get hit by that truck, it's your choice.

As you've probably guessed by now, I'm an odds person, not a just "hope for the best and hope that it all works out anyway" person. I've always worn a seatbelt, which offended some of my friends in the 1970s who were fine knowing that they were protected by a greater power. I also eat my veggies, and take my meds, including vaccines (yes, COVID too), as instructed by my doctor. And my life has continued much longer than I every expected, which is a miracle, right?
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