The Serendipitous Effect of the Second Banana

That's a pretty heavy title. Here's why it's relevant. 

 I think another word for what happened is "synchronicity." That's when events - in this instance, two events - appear at the same time but there is no logical connection that might have caused it. Carl Jung came up with this concept. He was a pretty smart guy with some stimulating ideas about you and me and everyone else. 

    What I'm about to tell you could also be classified under the chapter called "Coincidence." That's an easy way to dismiss any deeper interpretation. We've all had those, right? Okay, enough preamble.

    I wrote a column recently for County Living Magazine. It was about Second Bananas. The title was "Whatever Happened to Those Second Bananas?" Maybe you read it in the magazine, or on this blog a couple weeks ago. Second Bananas is not a subject you see very often. The printed version of the magazine was due off the press, and I was waiting to get my copies.

   

Yesterday - a Sunday - I was reading the New York Times, deeply engrossed in the Arts and Leisure section. The lead article was "Saying Goodnight To the Sidekick." The subject was Andy Richter, who was the sidekick for Conan. He said his job is like a dog or goat who is paired with a horse to keep it calm. "I'm the goat," he said.

    Two more articles were inside that section. One had more about the various sidekicks, and one was titled "The Top Second Banana Moves On." That was about Richter. Captivated by the Second Banana headline, I was just starting to read that article when there was a knock at my door.  I opened the door and there stood Todd Abrams, the publisher and editor of County Living Magazine. In his hands he carried a stack of the latest edition, the one with my Bananas column. Todd believes in excellent personal service, which is one reason why his magazine is so professional and worthwhile.

    So there I stood, the Times in one hand, the magazine in the other. This was synchronicity of the first order. Jung would have said, "See? I told you." I showed Todd the newspaper. Not just to let him know how impeccable my timing had been, but to provide proof that such things still happen, even in this digital, distanced, techno world. Or, perhaps, maybe because of it. 

    Here's my suggestion to you: Keep your mind and heart open for connections you may never have guessed at, for unexpected meetings beyond your imagination, for a direct link to the forces that are out there. They are watching us, listening to us, and just waiting to connect us, if only we let them in.

    
Here is a link to the Second Bananas blog I posted in June.

http://heyyouhoser.blogspot.com/2021/06/whatever-happened-to-those-second.html