Do you ever have those moments where you are reminded that even though the Earth has a diameter of about 7900 miles, it is still a small place?
They seem to happen to me on a regular basis. Just yesterday, Ducky was at the "Yummy" bakery picking up my birthday cake. And he recognized the person behind the counter. When asked if she used to work at "Crossing" bakery many towns over the reply was yes. Along with an odd look. She used to work at his uncle's bakery when he was just a boy. And she remembered him, eventually. When the bakery closed, she moved and opened up her own. And now I don't have to make the carrot cake for his birthday unless I really want to. I can go buy it. And it will still be the special carrot cake.
Then at a birthday party recently I was chatting with some of the moms. Turns out that I went to school for years (again several towns over) with one of the other moms. She was a few years older than me, but we went to all the same schools.
Once I was going to visit my sister and decided that riding the train would be a nice change from driving. So, I sat in comfort grading papers and watching the scenery instead of paying attention to merging, exits and the speedometer. While I was waiting to to get off, I was stopped with a "Are you Ped?" Why yes, how do I know you? Turns out we did 4-H together and she always admired my critters. And wondered how I did so much. (We won't go into that, painful memories and all that.)
Several years ago, we moved to a new house and I changed what school I was working at. Our new next door neighbor, played baseball with Ducky's cousin's husband, worked with one of my new coworker's husband and Ducky worked with his wife's sister.
Every time I turn around I find someone who knows or is related to someone I know or am related to. These are my small world moments. And they always amaze me. And remind me to be kind, polite, nice. You never know if comments will get back to other people. And if you are being dumb, I prefer to tell you personally, in the nicest possible way of course. I can be blunt that way.
What is your favorite small world moment?
4 comments:
This happens so often in Ireland, even in Dublin with its 1.6 million people. You're nearly always guaranteed to run into someone you know whenever you're in town.
In fact, it happens so often, I'm not sure I could come up with one.
When I first read this, I couldn't think of anything. Then I talked to my sister yesterday and found out that she read blogs and someone I have started reading recently used to be in my parents congregation at church and my sister reads her regularly! I hope I don't lose my anonymity over this, what are the odds? Plus there was that time our former Bishop and his wife were in the same hotel and parking garage as we were when we went to Hawaii...
You should try being married to a Dutchman. I've lost count of the number of times we've been in far-flung or obscure places and Husband has said "I know that person over there. He's in my fraternity / I lived in his flat / he dated my sister / I played hockey with him" and so on.
It got so bad that I used to have a bet with him every time we went away on which point we would meet someone...
After we bought this house, I took my youngest to the elementary school for enrollment. I went all the way through school with the counselor. In fact, her family lived next to my great grandmother when I was a little girl. I hadn't seen her since college days.
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