Battle Cry

[A tale of reverse gauge symmetry synchronicity]


Since I finished Hearts in Conflict and have moved on into another genre, I decided to return all my library books on the Civil War. Now, I don’t read these books cover to cover. I just thumb through them, say, when watching the Sunday football games or while the wife is watching miscellaneous teevee on the weeknights.

But I’m all Civil War’d out.

One of the three books I’m returning is James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom, a Pulitzer-prize winning history of the Great Conflict, beginning with its mid-19th century roots. I’d love to read through it; some say it’s the best one-volume treatment of the subject (of which some also said of Anders’ Hearts in Conflict). Clocking in at around 900 pages, though, I had neither the time, energy, or inclination to delve into it. Time to hop to other October and November “theme” reading.

So as I’m returning them earlier today, rushing back and forth between errands and getting to Little One’s soccer game, I’m hit with one of those flashes of Synchronicity. Or Synergy. Syn-something, at least.

Oh yeah, that’s right. I’ve labeled such occurrences reverse gauge symmetric synchronicity. What that means exactly, I don’t know, but I sure as heck know it when it happens to me.

I enter the doors of one of our local libraries, and their little display of BOOKS FOR SALE off to the right catches my eye. Now, I’m late and frantic with a thousand things to do, but I never turn down a BOOKS FOR SALE sign. A quick gander, I promise myself, before returning my Civil War books.

I’m not looking two minutes when what do you think catches my eye?

Huh?

Care to guess?

Right!

James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom! For fifty cents!

It’s a sign. No doubt, a sign I am to read this book. How can it be otherwise? It’s a powerful example of reverse gauge symmetric synchronicity. It’s the aether telling me, ya gotta read this book, so if you won’t read the free library copy, I’ll throw the fitty-cent version at ya!

So I picked it up, and now it’s on the shelf behind me.

I’ll get to it some time after the New Year, but get to it I will.