An attempt at self-depracatory humour sometimes seems to work

Falling in love, like pretty much everything else in life, is 50% timing. Apocryphal, you say? Perhaps, but allow me to explain.

Call it what you will, but there's something to be said about all the planets lining up just so and how often does that happen, really? What's more likely to happen, of course, is that you'll meet the woman of your dreams in an overcrowded train compartment and find out she's moving to Glasgow the week after. Or worse, has already been spoken for and is getting married before the month is out. A tad extreme, do I hear you say? But even the most cynical of you will agree that the odds are stacked overwhelmingly against your meeting someone interesting to find that she's available. Most likely she's already seeing someone more convenient.

Oh and then there's the other one, isn't there? The kicker. You like her and she likes you but there's someone inconvenient involved and chances are this thing will get messier than a freeway pile up before it sorts itself out. If you're lucky, of course!

I'm sure the planets think this is some sort of hilarious cosmic joke, pretending to align themselves and lure you into dropping your guard before executing a perfect, last minute somersault that leads, inexorably, to what has already been described as the kicker.

Then again, life (and love) would be a lot less adventurous were it not for the planets and their petty little games. Adventure should count for something, certainly, no?

Not convinced, yet, eh? My arguments do not ring the tiniest bells of familiarity in your mind? Time for a couple of illustrative examples then, methinks.

Business. The Apple Newton, 1992. A PDA so ahead of its time it almost sank the company practically even before it hit the market.

Sports. Sachin Tendulkar, 1989. A woefully nervous debutant plays a delectably timed lofted drive, only delectably timed straight down the throat of long on, and puts paid to his debut almost before it gets noticed.

Science. Albert Einstein, 1905. A clerk at the German patents office proposes an idea so wildly ahead of his time he is ridiculed by all and sundry and his career as a leading light is almost over even before it has begun.

Examples abound but I'm not in an obliging mood. After all, you can do your own research, can't you? In fact, if you're not convinced yet then life's been uncommonly kind to you and I don't stand a chance anyway.

Then again, then again, Apple's still around and so is Sachin. And Einstein, as we all know, went on to win the Nobel prize only a few years later. In the words of Anna Quindlen, sometimes all you need to do is show up. Impossibly. Again and again.

So I'm going to show up, and listen and try to smile. Showing up should count for something, certainly, no?

After all, timing's only half the story, innit? Hehh heh ;)