As I surmised after having called yesterday afternoon on a Sunday, I received a telephone message from Victoria early this Monday morning confirming a haircut appointment for me at 9:30 am. In further anticipation of this eventuality I ensured to have been out of bed, showered and dressed by nine o’clock.

Unrelated to this arrangement was another early morning matter on my To Do list; namely, call Zips Car Wash to have them examine why my new windshield sticker is not working. I had telephoned Zips promptly at 8:00 am based on their earlier recording (when I had telephoned yesterday) that they are in operation Monday to Friday between the hours of 8 am and 7 pm. Turns out it was Central time which of course is one hour later than Eastern time. So I waited. When at last I connected with Zips (that is, after having been dragged through their tiresome list of options none of which related to my particular purpose) the agent (Ariel V) had no immediate solution and therefore elevated the problem to the technical department. Later this morning I went to get the car washed. The attendant (Jay) who had installed the windshield sticker yesterday leapt into action and reported to me as I exited the wash that all had been rectified.  We’ll see what happens when I return tomorrow.

Ariel V. (Zips Car Wash)
Jan 27, 2025, 8:08 AM CST

Hello Bill,

Thank you for contacting us! I have escalated your request to our team
that is able to assist you.

If you need any updates, please do not hesitate to reply on this thread.

Thank you

Ariel V.

This email is a service from Zips Car Wash.

I have interjected this reference to Zips Car Wash because of the name of the agent; namely, “Ariel V” . I find this amusing because during my conversation this morning at the hair salon with Victoria (the proprietor) she suddenly asked for no apparent reason what was my date of birth. I thought she intended to add my name to some list of notifications for retail sales purposes. When I replied that my birthday was in December she pressed on and asked what day, to which I responded 11.  She smiled then removed herself to secure something from her purse. She then handed me her driver’s licence and said, “Look at the date!”  As you’ve probably already guessed, her day of birth is December 11, the same as mine.

To this anomaly I replied that serendipity is a common feature of my life. She too as readily dismissed the coincidence. It wasn’t however until I returned home and had read the email from Zips that I discovered the additional coincidence of the names of the two people (Victoria and Ariel V) who together represented the only two matters on my agenda this Monday morning. I refer naturally to my partner’s family name “Arial” which I think you’ll agree is disturbingly similar to “Ariel “; and, of course the association of V (from Ariel V) with Victoria.

No doubt this superstitious rambling has no strength whatsoever; nonetheless it constitutes to my thinking a familiar resemblance of everything in my life. More significantly, the coincidence of the two events constitutes addressing outstanding matters.  I unabashedly confess I glean enormous gratification from fulfillment of objective. Learning to accommodate patience in the process is something I have yet to do. To my everlasting embarrassment once I have targeted an objective, I tend to pursue it avidly until completion. Certainly the predisposition qualifies as excusable but to others caught unwittingly in the web of performance it can be annoying.

I afterwards celebrated these small victories by tricycling about the neighbourhood for my statutory 30 minutes (3.12 Km).  Today is a dull grey day.  I prefer to wait until tomorrow when the weather is forecast to be clear and warmer (57°F) before attempting to tackle the beach.  The tricycle though sturdy is rudimentary only, 1 gear and indisputably old and a challenge to my wonky knees on the most moderate incline.  Nonetheless it serves to promote much needed effort particularly whenever the exertion translates to stretching (which my erstwhile physician has commented is the clue to quell arthritic pain). The exercise naturally also quells my psychic necessity to do anything to assuage my guilt from limitless indolence.

I know 30 minutes tricycling hardly sounds extraordinary but for me it is an achievement.  I am learning to adopt a less demanding ambition with regard to all aspects of living.  When we are young we deceive ourselves to imagine that anything and everything is possible.  There are some who actively make a point of attempting to prove the truth.  But in old age notwithstanding the temporal and financial capacity to fulfill every possibility, there remain limitations bound by things other than health.  Whether it is the preoccupation with the inevitable end of life, I do not know; but there is a mystical immaterial preoccupation which begins to fall like a gossamer upon one’s intellect. This is not to suggest that the end is near or that one loses interest in living; rather it is a transition which overtakes the whole and directs the mind in a new manner.  I shall no doubt punish you, my dear Reader, with further unwanted detail in this regard upon a subsequent date. For the moment I liken the evolution to adopting the habit of driving one’s car at a slow speed; viz., it’s safer and more relaxing. There is time to play with the buttons and listen to the music. The race is over.