Which is it? Divine Justice or bad thinking?

This one has all the ear marks of divine irony all over it. It is a simple story. For the last two do-it-yourself projects I have not had to buy a new tool. That is unusual for d-i-y projects. A project is always supposed to involve getting another tool. But I have done two major projects without a new tool. So the do-it-yourselfer gods "owed" me two tools.

I am now in the middle of a project for a new desk that involves major amounts of sanding. So I got out all of my sanding equipment. I discovered that I had about 20 sanding belts that measured 3" x 21". I looked at my sanders and I had a 3" x 24" machine and a 3"x18". But I did not have a 3" x 21" machine. I may have had one earlier, but I did not have one at the moment. So I think, "If I buy a new 3" x 21" machine I can have two different grades of sanding belts: one on the 3" x 24" and one on the 3" by 21". (The 3" x 18" is one of those cheap ones that I really rarely use.) So I go and buy a Rockwell 3" x 21" new belt sander.

The concept was great and worked wonderfully well for the first round of 60 grit on one and 80 grit on the other. When I started using the 3" x 21" belts that I had for the 120 and 150 grit, the belts began to break at the seam almost immediately. The glue had dried and they just came apart in less than 10 seconds on the machine. Now I have no belts that will work on the 3" x 21" belt sander I bought. I will now have to buy more belts for the 3" x 21" belt sander.

Was this Divine justice for the greed that I had that talked myself into needing a new machine that I really did not need. The 3" x 24" would have done the job. I was just going to have to change belts more often. A little extra work. Cosmic irony? Another example of Murphy's laws? Or maybe just bad thinking on my part? Rationalization? Does God get involved at this level? Or has God set up the cosmic irony thing to take care of these kinds of petty sins? Did I get my just deserves? Lots of people seemed to believe that God works at this level and yet do not see it at the larger level.

Or maybe this project is divine justice in that it has gotten me a new tool, and it has made me buy a whole bunch of new belts as well. I guess maybe the do-it-yourself gods will say they are even. That is two things: the sander and the belts. Is that Divine grace? One way or the other it sure made me think about it.