Chance Encounters

Can I just say I love my commute? An 11 minute walk (or a 2 minute drive with Chris and Penny as they head off to daycare...hey, don't judge, the sidewalks are blankets of ice right now!), a 10 minute bus ride and I'm at work. In the evening if it is over 15 degrees, I'll take the bus to the light rail and then walk to Penelope's day care. Then we walk a couple of blocks to catch the bus. It is like toddler heaven. She LOVES riding the bus, and then it drops us off right in front of her favorite playground. Today we took the bus from daycare to the library and walked home. It was a beautiful night with a full moon. What an improvement over a 30-45 minute drive in traffic!

One of my favorite parts about riding the bus is seeing people run into others they know or seeing the same people on the bus every day and giving a nod and a smile. There are 3 other people who usually wait with me at my bus stop. They all have limited English, but we can complain about the cold and the bus being late. The other day I got on the bus and lo and behold there was my coworker who sits in the cube next to me. Not that I should be surprised. We both ride the bus and live in the same direction it was bound to happen. But it did remind me of my best public transportation story...(screen gets wavy as flashback starts)

We were living in Rye NY for about 3 years. I didn't go into the city too often, maybe ever 2-3 months, so it was a treat when I decided to go with a coworker to see Wicked. It was some odd night like a Tuesday. Since it was cold we decided to take the shuttle from grand central to times square. As we were waiting, she said "there's a guy yelling your name and waving" It took me a second to see who she was pointing to. Then I saw my friend Sean and started yelling and ran to give him a huge hug. I think we embarrassed the people we were with just a tad. Here's the amazing thing. Sean and I had been really good friends in high school when I lived in AZ, but I hadn't seen him for probably 8 years. I had heard through the grapevine he was moving to NY, but these were the olden days (2005) before facebook and myspace, or at least before I had joined and reconnected with everyone I've known since preschool. Turns out he had moved to NY the week before and was on his way to see Jersey Boys. What are the chances to both be in the Grand Central Square subway station at that exact moment. I think back to high school and how we would talk for hours about teenage issues that seemed so dire. Yet I guess we turned out okay. I mean there we were running into each other in the big apple both off to see Broadway shows. It still makes me smile, especially when I see people who obviously haven't seen each other in a long time have a chance encounter. I guess I'm cheesy...and yes, It's a Small World is my favorite Disney ride.