Finding Opportunity in Tragedy

Next weekend is a holiday weekend here in the states. For those of you who are unfamiliar July 4th is when we celebrate the birth of America. Now I don't particularly care about America. Nations are a primitive notion based on tribalism yada yada yada. Setting all that aside though I do enjoy having a couple days off so I can binge drink. Now here in America employers have a habit of giving their employees the holiday itself (if they give time off at all) off but not the subsequent day severely limiting what one can do with that day. So I decided to just ask for July 5th off so I can be as hung over as I want that day and not have to worry about shitty work. I asked as soon as I could as I figured lots of people would request this day. My boss informed me that he was unsure I could take that day because a number of people already had. Well that night I was on facebook and I read about a comedian from Chicago who overdosed and died in New York. I didn't think much of it as I never met the person. Now two days later my boss calls and says if I close for him while he goes to a wake I can have the 5th off. Turns out the person's wake he was going to was the same person I read about on facebook. Isn't it strange how life works? Someone dies in New York and somehow I get a day off. Just think of all the events that had to transpire in his life as well as mine to add up to that. I don't like benefiting from tragedy, but sometimes it just happens that way. That got me thinking about other people who may have benefited from tragedy. Like 9/11 the world trade center was a giant office space and you just know there was someone going into work that day that didn't finish a presentation, forgot to bring a report, or just had some unpleasant news to deliver. He or she was probably sitting on the train treading that moment when they would have to face the consequences but then they get there and the whole thing has collapse. They must have breathed a sigh of relief. I'm sure there were plenty of instances of that in Hiroshima as well. Someone was ridding into town on the train just scared out of their mind about having to confront the boss then bam flash of blinding light and hey no more work to worry about.