This world….smaller than you think.
by roxanne on 09/11/09 at 7:30 pm
Do you ever stop and marvel at how our lives are interwoven? Isn’t it bizarre?
Susie and I met for the first time when I started at The River in October. Only to find out as the months go by that I know her father-in-law from Baylor activities, my best friend’s aunt was in Susie’s wedding, and she just went to dinner with one of the partners at my old law firm (who she has known forever). All of these just one degree of separation as they say, yet Susie and I never met until we were meant to. Wild and yet so simple.
Sometimes we have to have multiple encounters with someone before it becomes more than skin deep.
Over the last few months I have reconnected with an acquaintance from college at Baylor. Jen and I were the same year in school and she dated a guy that I was in a the same organization (Chamber) with. I always thought highly of her, but we never really hung out. Encounter number one.
Fast forward eight years I run into Jen at a Jr. League function. She’d just moved from Dallas and transferred her League membership as well. Again we said hi when we saw each other, and even became friends on Facebook, but it didn’t go past that. Encounter number two.
Hmmm.
Fast forward one year to February 2009. Jen was looking for a church and was curious about Riverbend and more specifically Untitled, the young professionals group, so she emailed me about it. I replied and invited her to check it out. She did, enjoyed it and started coming regularly. We talked about meeting up for dinner, etc. and only yesterday did we finally get a chance to do exactly that. Encounter number three.
Jen and I went to Max’s Wine Dive, the new restaurant downtown. We had an AWESOME time! I mean if you think about it, we have a lot in common, Baylor, Jr. League, Austin, Riverbend, we just never got past the pleasantries.
It taught me a few things:
* This world is not as big as we would like to believe it is. I don’t know why or how, but ultimately there are people we encounter multiple times in our lives without even trying.
* Treat everyone well, all the time. Seriously, life isn’t a ‘one off’ and even if it was, would you really want to be the star of the ‘jerk tale’ that people tell over and over again?
* As you get older, it is nice to interact with someone who knows your past.
Although we weren’t ‘besties’ in the past, in some ways, I don’t have to explain to Jen where I came from, or what my past was like, because she has the Cliff notes already. Love that. It is similar to when I post something on Facebook and old friends on Facebook that i haven’t actually seen in decades (save a reunion) reference ‘Roxanne the 5th grader.’ It is wild but awesome to have a piece of history with someone.
*Have a little patience (yeah, yeah yeah). Whether it is a person you always admired but never had the opportunity to really get to know, or maybe you are friends with someone you wish would become your romantic interest, it all happens when it should and how it should.
*The pressure is off! How it all works is totally out of my hands, so I don’t have to manufacture anything. All I have to do is sit back and marvel at the works.
Love it!
