A while back, I was leafing through a personal journal. I found something I haven’t seen for quite a while. It was a single, torn out, title page from a paperback book that I had pressed and tucked away in the journal.

I’ll let you know exactly what that page is and how it came into my possession a bit later here. (That means you can keep reading to find out, or you can skim through the gobbledygook of this column and find out now.)

In the meantime, consider these questions: Do you believe that the small events in our lives, seemingly insignificant events, might happen to us for reasons? Is there cosmic meaning in our day to day happenings — or is it just routine and happenstance?

I know that there are differing opinions on these questions. Religiously and philosophically, people are “all over the map” on this issue.

Some years ago, I read the book “The Celestine Prophesy,” which sets forth the notion that everything we do and everything that happens to us has meaning and purpose. Every “chance” meeting with anyone on any given day has significance in our lives.

The author, James Redfield, comes from an astrological perspective, though that wasn’t really clearly disclosed in the novel itself. I had a love/hate feeling about it. The book was poorly written, in my opinion. Weirdly though, I also thought it seemed too short.

It’s like the old joke about the guy and his friend at a restaurant. The guy complains to his friend about how terrible the food is that they are served. And the friend replies, “Yeah, I know – and such small portions.”

People with no religious or spiritual beliefs have an opposite point of view on this topic. To them life itself is pure coincidence. The little daily occurrences in life come only from the complicated co-mingling of coincidental circumstances. (was that alliteration coincidence?)

I think many of us fall somewhere in between the extremes. Like most questions of this nature, easy answers are hard to find.

Here’s what I was talking about at the top of this column. This happened to me. It was a little thing. Insignificant – if you look at it that way. Or on the other hand, it was very significant.

Here’s what happened. I walked out of the front door of my house and was crossing the lawn when I saw a small piece of paper that had blown onto the yard. Being the “tidy-bug” that I am. (Can you hear my wife laughing?) I walked over and picked up the paper.

It turned out to be the title page from a paperback book. It was seemingly old and had been in the weather for a while. It was from a Dale Carnegie book. The title of the book? – “How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.”

I paused and stared at the page of paper. I asked myself (in a concerned tone of voice): “Self, is this a significant moment?”

Then, I had the thought — that the moment only had to be significant if I allowed it to be. In this instance, it was my choice. I could wad up the page and toss it away or I could be affected.

I decided not to throw the “litter” away. I actually saved it. I’ve been thinking of framing it. I’ve wondered about it. One of my wonderings has been which one of you out there deliberately set me up to find that title page in my yard.

As a result of that, perhaps happenstance, or perhaps cosmic event, I have been attempting to worry less and live more. I’m trying to confine my worries to things that I can do something about. (Notice the words “attempting” and “trying.”)

So how is it with you? Do you allow seemingly insignificant events to have purpose in your life? I have to say that I don’t always find significance in small events. But, I’m trying to be more perceptive.

I do know that an “insignificant” smile or greeting from someone can mean a lot to me. So that tells me that I should be giving more smiles and greetings.

I know that the smallest of courtesies are appreciated in big ways. In some ways, it’s true – no occurrence is “small.”

Maybe we should take a new view at the “unimportant” events and aspects of our lives. Who knows? – perhaps we’ll stop worrying and start living. — Merrill