I often find it interesting and challenging to speculate on a phrase which many in the field (and personal process) of recovery from addiction: 'There's no such thing as coincidence.' Some would say that it could be translated as 'There's a reason for everything that happens', but that's taking a bit far in my humble opinion. I'll just stick with the idea that we kind of misuse the word 'coincidence' (a mathematical term, by the way, in reference to identical angles) in the course of our daily lives. It's the connections we make between events that might be important. Connectional happenstance follows.

Miranda Green writing in the Financial Times recently spoke of a British supermarket (we're talking as big or bigger than Wegman's, corporate-size-wise) that has begun experimenting with what they call 'Talking Tables' in their cafe section. No, not a table that speaks to you, but tables that have a sign placed on them (a few in between the other unmarked tables) which reads: 'Reserved for customers in the mood for a chat'. This sounds awfully British, but think of it in terms of our much discussed social isolation, despite Twitter and FaceBook. The spontaneous interaction between strangers is the goal. If I sit at this table, I am assuming and allowing another stranger to smile, sit down and have what could be a small, maybe interesting conversation about 'whatever' and allow a 'random' connection to take place. Being the first to sit at the empty table, or seeing someone sitting there whom I would fain to interact with takes courage, n'est pas?

I read with interest Dan Veaner's Opinion piece (Nov. 30) on the Lansing Rod and Gun Club lead shot issue and agree that it would be good to hear from club members. I think that many Lansing residents would like to work with the members of the Lansing Rod and Gun Club (LRGC) in its effort to resolve the current EPA requirement to stop adding toxic lead shot to the Salmon Creek watershed. I would think that many LRGC members want to be good neighbors, good stewards of our environment, and continue to be a valuable recreational opportunity for the community.

Rather than pursue the current plan to extend the land areas being used for trap shooting with lead shot which is damaging to wildlife and water quality, and causing great and understandable distress to the adjacent homeowners, why not stop using lead shot by switching to steel shot? Why not stop putting 2 tons of lead each year into the Lansing hillside, make the change to steel shot as so many other clubs are doing, and then work with the community in making a serious attempt to remediate the lead that has accumulated over the past 60+ years next to Salmon Creek?