To Boldly Go

I am happy. I am porcine in excretum. I have a grin on my face that the husband finds quite disturbing. I have Star Trek, The Next generation, all of them. Every one. All the drama, all the action, all the monologues and all the skin tight uniforms I can handle.
Now here is my dilemma: I am an atheist. There are no Gods or Deities that I pray to. I believe in the randomness of the universe and of self responsibility. Yet herein lies the quandary – why is it that so often things seems to "fall into place"?
On the weekend I saw an add for box sets of Next Gen and DS9 for only $280 each. I already have all of DS9 on VHS, as much as I would love to upgrade and save some space as well, I couldn't justify the double up. But owning all of Next Gen has been on my wish list for some time. I looked at the add and lamented my unemployed status, my lack of financial fluidity. Six months ago I would have simply gone straight to the shop and bought both of them and given all the DS9 videos to the Salvos. These days $280 is a truckload of money. So I lamented and dismissed. The next day I received a cheque for $405.45, an adjustment for some shares from my previous employer. Today I own Next Gen. Coincidence? Of course. Or is it a case of "ask, and you shall receive"?
In previous blogs I have typed about the drama of losing my "precious things", my engagement ring and several important items and I have blamed unnamed universal powers for their loss and subsequently their return.
Was it a coincidence that when being faced with the question of my obsession with materialism I should be forced to deal with the loss of that which was most precious – materially and emotionally? Was is also a coincidence that the loss of my engagement ring acted as a catalyst for many fights between myself and the husband and that these fights forced confrontations that while momentarily traumatic exposed vulnerabilities to each other which ultimately brought us closer together? Only when we had both given up all hope of finding the ring did I eventually find it. Life lesson learned - reward given. The Gods spoke thusly. What Gods? Are there Universal powers? I actually prefer to believe in randomness. It is the only way to deal with situations such as two children in a cancer ward – one lives, the other dies. Why? Religious belief would argue divine intervention on the part of the survivor and "mysterious ways" on the part of the child that lost the battle. I'm sorry, but that's not good enough for me. Random variables and the action of chemotherapy answer both. But then we are left with those in our lives that behave in abhorrent ways (for some reason my ex-husband springs to mind) and the only way I can remain sane when thinking about such things is to summon up a belief in Karma. Therein lies the rub: my belief system changes depending on circumstance. I am a hypocrite.
So when the Mormons, excuse me, Latter Day Saints or Jehovah's Witnesses knock I am a pagan (gets rid of them real quick), when faced with mortality I am an atheist and will deal with my own shit but when faced with a bargain and an unexpected cash flow I will thank any and all of the Gods that I can find.
So thanks. Live long and prosper.