You be the judge. Was it a Coincidence, or Synchronicity?
In pursuit of due diligence, I was seeking the offices for The Muskegon Chronicle newspaper and get permission to borrow the paper’s name for my next novel. Google Maps provided a downtown Muskegon, Michigan, address. Upon entering the front door, I found myself standing in a physical therapy clinic. I was informed the parent company that owns the newspaper moved out of that site two years ago. They never updated Google Maps.
A Google search afforded me a phone number for Customer Service. A live person answered. I explained, “I need a signature to obtain permission to borrow the name, The Muskegon Chronicle for a novel I’m writing. Is there someone there who can help me with this?” I was advised to mail the form. I replied, “If you can just tell me your location, I would prefer to come there in person.”
“Sir, we are in Mexico.”
Now there’s an unexpected curveball that completely caught me off guard. I was dumbstruck. It took me a few seconds to formulate a follow-up question. The best I could come up with on such short notice was, “Seriously. You’re in Mexico? The country … Mexico?”
“Yes sir. About eight hundred miles south of Phoenix.”
“Well, let me ask you this, where is The Muskegon Chronicle printed? Perhaps there’s someone there who could help me.”
“Sir, I think they are printed somewhere in Kentucky.” [Pause] “I just located the office in downtown Muskegon. The address is 379 West Western Avenue.”
“Sorry, but I was just there. It’s now a Physical Therapy clinic. It hasn’t been a newspaper office for over two years. You should perhaps update your Google Maps.”
Since this conversation was circling the drain, I decided to extend my search to Grand Rapids. Low and behold, they listed downtown offices at 169 Monroe Avenue, Suite 200. To verify, I checked a street-view image. There it was, with the parent company name, Mlive Media Group, in big colorful letters on the building.
I entered the building, took the elevator up one floor, opened the door marked Mlive Media Group, and…?
Nobody. Not a soul. All the furniture, conference tables, high-top tables, work stations, and flat screen monitors were all arranged as if the site was just prepped for a new business. It was weird.
I exited, went down another hallway through a door and found myself in a skyway. Directly across was the entrance to the J.W. Marriott.
While trying to get my bearings, a younger gentleman exited the Marriott to which I said, “Excuse me. Can I ask you a question?” He turned and said, “Sure. What are you trying to find?” Apparently, the skyway lends to others getting their bearings crossed.”
I said, “I was wondering about the Mlive offices. There’s a huge sign on the building but the offices … there’s no one there.”
He explained, “They moved out about two years ago. After the pandemic, everyone just kept working from home. What is it you need?”
“I need permission to borrow the name, The Muskegon Chronicle for a novel I’m writing.”
He pulled out his phone and said, “Here. Take this information down.” He provided me with two email addresses with @mlive.com.
I asked, “How is it you know this information?”
“I’m a journalist for The Grand Rapids Press. I work for Mlive.”
What are the odds? I happened to have entered a skyway at the same moment an Mlive journalist exits the Marriott and then, when asked, provided me with contact information.
Was this a coincidence, or synchronicity?
Anything like this ever happen to you?
