Fate Or Coincidence?

Isn’t it amazing that we interact with hundreds of people a day, but don’t really connect with them at all? I was taking a walk a couple weeks ago and noticed that I really wasn’t looking at anyone I passed. I just passed them. They were a sea of bodies that I tried not to run into on my way to my destination. What’s weird is that there are probably 3-5 people you just passed who have some connection to you. Your friends’ boss, the aunt of a girl you went to high school with…we’re all connected but we’re not. Which is sad. Our disinterest and lack of awareness is sad.

There have been times when I stated I was at a location and someone else said “I was there too!” or “I was there earlier in the day”. Is that coincidence or fate? I’m not sure about that question. I strongly believe everything happens for a reason. The things that occur, the people you meet…all fated to occur at some point for one reason or another. The more practical side of my brain claims that things happen when they happen and sometimes align with other events without reason. I’m always torn between the two.

There’s an incident that sticks out for me. I went to the movies with MoJo last spring. We decided to walk up 2nd ave for no reason other than it was a nice night. On our walk, a car pulled up with people we knew. 1.6 million people on the island of Manhattan. 8.3 million in all 5 boroughs. 4 people happen to be at the same corner at the same time on the same night. Now, there was no reason for Music Man and Co. to be driving off the Queensborough bridge at that time. Nor did they have to cross the 3 lanes after they turned to be in the lane closest to us. Nor did the MM have to glance over onto the street as he was making the turn. But we met, and it doesn’t make sense.

Now, you can say that those were two different events happening in two very different sets of lives that happened to align at the same moment. Or, you can say that they lined up because they were supposed to happen and we were supposed to meet at that exact moment.

What did I learn from that? Next time, get on the damn train when you’re supposed to.