{a serendipitous smile at the end of a particularly tense week}

What a week!

Didn’t I just post a few  thoughts about the horrific attacks in Paris? I wouldn’t have guessed that so soon there’d be an act of terrorism approximately 50 miles from my home and 35 minutes or so from where I work.

I have been expecting California to be a target, worrying for a long time now about my loved ones working in Los Angeles and San Francisco civic centers, however, if asked to name cities I considered vulnerable, San Bernardino wouldn’t have been in my top ten. It’s a good hour from Los Angeles, but the point made this week is the shootings may have been ISIS inspired, but the husband and wife shooters took advantage of where they lived. They attacked their own community.

If this is the new “hybrid attack,” as some are labeling it, then there’s no place to claim perfect safety, and as disturbing as that thought is, it’s a thought we have to live with. Pay attention. Stay alert. But we can’t cocoon.

And as truly sad as I’ve felt for a few days now, I still found tremendous relief in a gift of serendipity. Serendipity with a twist of irony and a dash of humor.

I’ve been upfront about my near-hoarder propensity for holding on to books that I’ve already read, books I’ve somehow acquired but I’m unlikely to read, and the overall habit of bringing more books home than I could read in this lifetime.

Out of the need to make room (for more books) I’ve spent several months going through the hundreds on my shelves and carting them off to the library or giving them away to friends.

Just because I’m on a bit of a book purchasing diet doesn’t mean I boycott bookstores, however. Last Saturday Jay and I went to a friend’s book signing at a local independent bookstore. I bought our friend’s book, and as I handed over my credit card I was handed a raffle ticket in return.

I literally laughed when the young man handling the transaction explained to me that in support of “Small Business Saturday” all paying patrons were entered into a “give-away” of a book bag filled with books. There were five bags representing several genres and I indicated my preference for non-fiction.

Guess who once again needs more space on her bookshelves?

I’ve had radar tuned to “Born With Teeth” for a long time now, but I might have to share ‘Think Like a Baby” with my niece and nephew. “Blood Will Out” was a USA Today Top 10 Best Book of 2014, but comes with a warning comparing it to Capote’s “In Cold Blood,” which I’ve told you before scared me to death. The murder in this story, however, is a local story. Local as in within walking distance from where I’m sitting, so I’ll probably read it and just plan to suffer the consequences later.

It’s quite obvious that the Universe is giving permission to go forward with my book collecting habit, and since this has been a very stressful week, I think I’m going to just take that message and run with it!

Whatever you have going for you this weekend, enjoy every minute. In fact, savor it, breathing lighter if you possibly can, and if you’re having trouble with that, open up to possible serendipitous moments. If you stay alert, you’ll find them!

Peace.