Matthew 24 - Signs

What is a sign and what is just an accident? What is prophetic of something and what just happens to be the a leaf that landed on a crossbeam of a bridge? In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks of signs of the end, but ultimately ends it up by saying that it is only the Father who knows the time and our job is for watchfulness. But for me, the watchfulness isn’t trying to read the tea leaves (or the accidentally-landing-on-a-bridge-crossbeam leaves) but instead living as I am called to live in this life, knowing that is what Jesus has called me to do.