Long odds at the library

I stopped by the Washington Memorial Library after lunch Tuesday. I had been to Sid’s for soup and a sandwich. And, since Sid’s is named after poet Sidney Lanier, I was feeling quite literary. So it was off to the library.

At the checkout desk, I asked the lady how many books there were in the three-story library. She said she had known the figure at one time, but she would be afraid to guess at the number now.

I wanted to know how many books were on those shelves because I wanted to know what the odds were for something that had just happened to me.

I had been on the second floor browsing through the new non-fiction titles. I spotted a biography that interested me and read a few pages.

It was well-written and enlightening. I told myself I would check out the book. I left it on the shelf, figuring nobody was going to come along in the next 15 minutes and get that book. After all, there weren’t a dozen people on the entire second floor.

I sat down to browse through another book, then chatted for a few minutes with one of the staff members at the library.

When it was time to leave, I walked over to the display shelf for the biography.

Suddenly, a man appeared out of nowhere, stepped in front of me and reached for the book. The same book!!!

I was a little stunned. What were the odds of that happening?

I have no idea. I’m still trying to figure it out. I don't much about probability but it seems very strange.

After writing about the “man in the rear-view mirror” on Monday, I followed up with the “man in the stacks at the library” on Tuesday.

Am I living in Bizarro World?

Makes me curious about what might happen today.