I treasure the chance intersections of life when disparate entities meet and leave you with a moment and a memory that prompt intriguing questions.

I’ve been reading a fascinating book by Tim Flannery titled The Eternal Frontier. Subtitled An Ecological History of North America and Its Peoples, it provides an illuminating and thought-provoking account of what happened on the North American continent 65 million years ago when a giant meteor smashed into the Gulf of Mexico.

I was reading the book this morning and in between chapters catching up on my laundry. I was on one of my trips to the apartment’s basement and met a wonderful couple who I’ve known for about two years, but who I’ve only begun to enjoy and appreciate for the last four months.

Unfortunately for me but good for them, they’re moving out of their apartment to permanently settle in their rustic New Hampshire home (more about their home in future blogs; it’s too extraordinary to describe in the space left).

When our paths crossed this morning, they were packing things in their car for the move north and, while doing that, cajoling a 30-pound snapping turtle across the parking lot in back of the apartment toward a nearby river. They were concerned that one of the apartment dwellers would turn the corner in her car a little too quickly and, voila, our slow-moving friend would become a shelled pancake.

The connection to Flannery’s book? He describes snapping turtles as “some of North America’s most venerable inhabitants,” having been around for 70 million years. Its cousin, the alligator turtle, is even older.

And here was this amazing couple, prodding and encouraging this amazing creature to fast forward, as protective of Mrs. S. Turtle as if it were their own child. 

The turtle made it to safety, the couple resumed packing their car, and I continued with my laundry. But while doing so I couldn’t help but think where the odds would have been set 70 million  years ago  for these life forms to be interacting at that particular moment and for me to be there watching the encounter.