Is there any paranormal activity here, or is it just good luck?

Question

Have you ever made a mistake, and had it work out for the best?

Last year, I was not diligent enough and my bag was stolen from a train in Europe. Inside a zippered pocket was a key, and tied to it with a string was a note that said "Do Not Throw Away". I remembered this key belonged to an old cast iron bank in the shape of a lion, which I really cherished. I fumed about this for a whole year.

However, upon returning home, I opened the drawer where I had forgotten the toy bank. Next to it was a key that said, "Lion Key". Seems I confused the two keys, and the stolen key wasn't for the bank after all !

Have you ever made a blunder, and had it work out like this?

Another odd occurrence happened concurrently while I was moving to Europe: I sent a box of books ahead of me to Europe. I was certain I had included one special book, given to me and signed by an artist friend of mine. I really valued this book. A few months later, I get this cryptic message from the Post Office, and the short story is my box mysteriously busted apart (highly unlikely, as I used enough heavy tape to immobilize an elephant). In any case, when I returned home last month, I opened a box, and inside was the book I thought I had sent in that ill-fated shipment. Are these two lucky coincidences or what?

The odd thing is, I was furious about the stolen key, but somehow I was certain I would retrieve it again. I even had a professional reward offer printed, and gave it at the train station in Europe. Is it possible that somehow I subconsciously realized the stolen key was not the one which fit the bank? Consciously, I was certain it was the key. Also, what about the book? Is this just a lucky coincidence, or did I somehow subconsciously leave the book out of the package, due to some precognition that it would get lost in the mail? I mean, I was really, really certain I had included that book!

Answer 1

Sounds like you just make mistakes.  Nothing here is remotely paranormal in any way.

Answer 2

duh, Pilot error, nothing more, nothing less.

Answer 3

Coincidence.

There are almost seven billion people on this planet and every one of them has a story.

Because of probability, there are some whose life is featureless and boring and at the opposite end some have a life filled with action, fear and thrills. Most lives are between these two extremes.

The same can be said of most coincidences in life: level of reading ability, singing talent, place of birth… practically every part of life. These things happen by chance and can be modified by effort.

Fantasy is fun and makes great stories but to understand the truth of strange occurrences, you should begin by always being truthful to yourself about what is real and what isn't.

Answer 4

These are not even coincidences, they are just mistakes that turned out with a happy ending.  If you subconsciously knew that the stolen key was not the one for the bank, why would you have printed a reward?  

This phenomenon is called "Confirmation Bias."  How many times have you made a mistake and it did not finish with a happy ending?  Because you believe that there may be some paranormal explanation to these things, you only remember the ones that confirm that explanation and you forget all about the thousands and thousands of mistakes that do not lead to a happy ending.  How many times have you stubbed your toe?  Gotten a paper cut?  Crashed your car?  Lost your sunglasses?  Did any of these things end up happy?  If you had paranormal powers, would you have found a lost gold ring under the sofa when you bent over in pain when you stubbed your toe?

To summarize, you have made tens of thousands of mistakes in your life (as everyone has).  These two situations ending up happy is clearly nothing to do with paranormal.