Ucatastrophes

It has certainly seemed like the last couple of weeks have proved full of "volcanic changes," in the best sense of course. I might even dare say, I have seen a couple of "ucatastrophes." I'm not sure that is a word, but I remember reading that J.R.R. Tolkien used that phrase. Wait, I'll find my source. Okay, it says that "J.R.R. Tolkien was fond of a literary device that he called ucatastrophe. This is the notion that at the very moment when things look bleakest and darkest, when there is no hope, the light breaks through and the day is saved." And in both a very literal and a more subjective sense I can claim that a weighty and negative burden was lifted into a positive and hopeful outlook for the future. I love to sound overdramatic in part by being mysterious...but perhaps by so doing, I insist that you see the planet instead of the puddle in each entry.

Firstly, a good friend of mine was experiencing some moments of fear and doubt recently. Considering the friendship and the fears he had in mind, the darkness was incredibly contagious. However, his outlook has shifted, with miraculous speed I might add, and he seems resolved and enlightened. I sense the quick recovery as well, and am greatly relieved.

Secondly, only a few days ago I discovered that my banking account was...overdrawn. Incredibly. Let's just say that at a $22 overdraw charge, and my tendency to use my debit card on even such a simple purchase as a mug refill, a lot of charges can accumulate quite quickly. Now, since I don't consider myself to be financially negilgent on purpose, I'm not too ashamed to share this information. However, the exact amount of the overdraw I will not disclose.

Anyway, a sudden flood of letters from the bank, not unlike the flood of invitations for Harry Potter to Hogwarts, were invading the house within a couple of days. And upon opening them I got a horrible surprise. I was at the point where I thought I might have to sell my violin. It's not as though I really play the violin well, not well at all actually, but it represents my desire to learn and grow at something that is challenging. I've heard that it is one of the most difficult instruments to learn to play. That's part of the reason I chose to play it. Though, it is also a little difficult to play any instrument, as I hardly read music with great efficiency, let alone speed. Honestly, that violin of mine is the only tangible representation I have of any lengthy goal, and to sell it would feel like I was giving in, and acknowledging my life to truly be only a puddle.

This would be a tragedy, indeed, but fate is not so cruel. A little discussion with the bank resulted in a reimbursement of half of the charges. Good first step. And a check from work that arrived in the mail that day practically cleared all of the charges. And then came the difficult part, asking for money. Thank you, Matt, for giving me not only what I asked for to sustain me, but five times that amount. What's amazing is that the amount of money I received was precisely twice the amount of money I initially owed. And it so happens that both amounts were exactly the same, with the exception of that hideous minus sign.

And thus in a quite literal sense, the negative has suddenly shifted to a positive. And mercy yields at least twice the weight of a brief burden. In a small way, I feel like my friend and I learned a similar lesson this week, and felt a similar sense of relief. A lesson, at least, and at most a ucatastrophe.



Where I heard about a ucatastrophe: http://www.timesandseasons.org/?p=2585