Innovative Constellation

Occasionally a series of unrelated factors come together in such a way that a new idea, a grand event in the evolution of the universe, occurs. I appreciate these serendipitous moments; I imagine the Lord laughing about the foreseeable but unexpected poetry of the creative moment. This past week the Lord was given such an occasion to laugh, by the constellation of five elements of everyday life.

1. Last year we bought a 2005 Hyundai Elantra GT. You may remember it from earlier entries. Although it is well used, it has a CD player in the dash, which is more than can be said for our ancient Mazda. Thus, since we acquired the Silver Bullet, a small stash of CDs has accumulated in the front central compartment.

2. The compact disc represents an achievement in both technology and aesthetics. In addition to holding vast amounts of complex information, the recording and reading surface of the disc has a silver sheen that both reflects and refracts light. One can clearly see reflected images in its circular depth, and rainbows flash across its resined surface.

3. Federal law now requires that children under twenty-two pounds in weight or less than twenty-nine inches in length be restrained in a bucket seat that faces the rear of the vehicle. Gwendolyn, as of today, still fits within that size bracket, although I may not receive my next paycheck before that changes. 

4. Some time ago Gwendolyn crossed the line in her development when she began to recognize Sara’s and my faces. And more recently, she entered the phase of childhood when staring at faces—it often does not matter whose—keeps her content for long periods of time.

5. Today we drove from home to Newtown, Connecticut, where my brother- and sister-in-law live. The drive takes three and a half hours; you can imagine how after about three hours Gwendolyn tired of sitting in the back seat, by herself. The rear windshield wiper didn’t amuse her anymore; neither did the bobbly toys on the handle of her bucket seat. Her bottle was empty until we got to our destination, and her pacifier wasn’t cutting it. So she was crying.

At the moment when these five factors converged, Sara made a serendipitous discovery. She grabbed a CD from the dash, reached into the back seat, and held the reflective surface in front of Gwendolyn’s face. Occupied by the wide-eyed visage now present in front of her, our daughter’s cries ceased, and we enjoyed quiet for the rest of the ride.

And the Lord of all creation laughed with joy.

~emrys