Which minute is THE minute

I have been reading 11/22/63: A Novel (Affiliate link) for the past couple of weeks.  I am not a Stephen King fan;  I actually think this my first Stephen King (I don’t do scary, books or movies). I read it simply because of its historical value. The premise of the book is that time travel is available and a man travels back in time to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

One of the things the book delves into is the Butterfly Effect (where a small change at one place can result in large differences to a later state). Naturally, it is something I have been pondering as I read Mr. King’s captivating story. While I can’t quite buy into the theory that a butterfly flapping its wings in Japan can cause a store in North America, I do believe there are those moments in our own lives where the butterfly effect is alive and well.

For example, the choices I make today with regard to taking a walk (or not) could greatly impact my long term health. The people with whom my life intersects today may constitute a butterfly moment in my life or theirs.

Our lives are full of butterfly moments. We just may not recognize when they are happening. The minute you meet your spouse; the moment a sperm finds an egg; the first encounter with an eventual best friend; the great business idea; the moment you lose a parent or friend; an auto accident – each is a moment in time that we may, or may not recognize as THE minute that changes our lives.

Makes you want to pay more attention to your minutes, doesn’t it!