runlindsayrun

Chance Encounters (and other natural disasters)

Truth? I hate running into people I know.

In my world, there are very few *nice* surprises. A surprise is, by nature, something that's unplanned and unanticipated. How can that possibly be a good thing?!

I think that's why my (brief) move back to Niverville freaked me out so much. I really didn't like going for a run and seeing people I knew who wanted to stop and chat. I didn't enjoy those uncomfortable little weather-related chats at the post office. I especially didn't like cruising into the grocery store on a Saturday morning (no make-up and a baseball cap) and knowing everyone in the store - employees included. Ooh, and when you're talking to someone and they do that eye-dart to see what's in your basket? Argh. I HATE THAT.

It's not that I don't like people. It's just that I'd rather plan my time with them deliberately. No one has a meaningful conversation in the dairy section. And sometimes, it's just AWKWARD. If you've ever run into your ex while on a date with someone else, you know what I mean. (For some reason, this has happened to me with alarming frequency.)

But alas, there is an exception to every rule. On rare occasion, it's a good surprise (an oxymoron if I've ever heard one... and I'll maintain that planning the encounter in question would have been preferable). And for every good chance meeting, there are about seventeen thousand bad chance meetings.

Last week was an official exception. Emily and I ran into an old friend from high school, and it was super fun to see her. It had been years, and she hadn't changed at all since I saw her last (Intro Psych at U of W). It was so great to catch up, and it put a great big giant smile on my face for the rest of the evening.

I'm not changing my vote about the whole good-surprise, happy-chance-encounter thing. But I *am* saying that - every once in a while - something unexpected can make you smile.

Labels: My Life, Nothing Important

posted by Lindsay @ 5:49 PM