Motifs

"there is order in chaos itself. that is the kinda chaotic world/universe we live in. it's a scientific theory that's being demonstrated everyday. for eg, look at an umbrella-shaped tree, see how it branches off randomly, yet, similarly into smaller patterns of itself, ad infinitum."
~ One with the Core, 4 August 2002

Sometime in their conversation, he casually mentioned 'my wife' - for the first time. The easy chatter which I had been quietly tuning into came to an abrupt and almost audible halt. In those few seconds of silence, it was almost as if someone had just pressed the 'pause' button on the scene. And then, the conversation resumed, almost with the same ease as before. SF told me later that she was taking the few seconds to switch chat mode - you just do not talk to a married man in the same way. Which then begged my bemused question - exactly HOW was she talking to him before the revelation? Heh. I remember watching the times she sought his company, sitting close, leaning in, and sometimes, gazing a little too long at his face. Although she never did look as if she was coming onto him, she admitted to an attraction. His face, smile and mannerisms were reminiscent of the navy officer (though nowhere as polished as the latter's practised charm). Even the physical chemistry was similar.

Then, there was the one with the on-and-off-again relationship, who talked and laughed like her cousin's wife. And one of the other women reminded her, and me, of other people.

I seem to be meeting a lot of 'familiar' people on the dive trips, and quite a few of them each time. I suppose it has not been so much about coincidences, or even seasonal peaks, as my growing sensitivity to the intricacies and recurrent motifs in life. It started two years ago with the significance of events, and now, people.

Do you ever wonder about similarities, and why faces, personalities and sometimes, even life paths seem to come in 'sets'? Have you ever noticed that certain facial types correspond to similar behaviourial traits? But, surely, the Creator could have easily created six billion unique moulds? Or are these motifs that we observe part of a greater design? SF thought there was a certain ingenuity and functionality to creating motifs that would fit neatly into the bigger picture of life, and also allowed us to make sense of the world (and people) more readily.

And yet, in spite of the similarities, each motif is unique and has its own place in the greater design. And quite possibly, irreplaceable.

On a more personal level, do our lives reverberate with their own motifs? Do certain experiences return again and again, to teach and reinforce lessons in life? And what happens when motifs encounter each other (think radio frequencies) - perhaps to share or teach different lessons? Do they show us just how intricate this skein of life is?

Standing before this delicate web
Of a destiny we cannot question
Paths cross
And uncross
We contemplate the ethereal threads
That bind
And separate us in such strange ways
~ Meetings, April 2001

Methinks there is something very strange about the middle months in the past few years. One of the motifs in my life, I suppose.