Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Surprising Coincidence

      Yesterday I went to a memorial for a long time neighbor. My wife persuaded me to go to the lunch after the memorial.

      A couple from Winnipeg came to sit at our table. Now Winnipeg is 1600 km (1000 mi) from us. Polite conversation was made such as what was their relationship to the deceased. My wife mentioned that she took her nurse training in Winnipeg. The other lady said, " Yes, she took nurse training in Winnipeg." So it only took a second to find out that they were in the same nursing school at the same time. Her husband and I rolled our eyes and said at the same time, "This could be a long time!" 

     The two women tried to make more connections by seeing who they knew. They shared their work experience. Meg was mentioned and her ex husband Harry. Winnipeg guy's ears went up as he knew Harry and had worked with him. These two guys had hung around together and some of the time at the nurse's residence to pick up girls.The conversation widened quickly with the third character having some ownership. There were some great laughs as connections were made.

    Finally, Winnipeg guy pointed across the table and said to my wife, "I took you out!" I happened to be watching my wife and her jaw dropped. My wife asked him his name and yes she remembered. Now the laughter became uncontrolled. Yes, they had gone out a few times. She had also gone to his parent's house a few times and remembered his parents as very supportive people.

   So what a surprising coincidence!  You sit with two people and try and be sociable and welcoming and then make an amazing discovery.  Have you made some surprising discoveries?

38 comments:

  1. Now that is way cool! No I have not had any coincidences in awhile:)

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    1. People who are extroverts will run into these things more often. My wife is definitely an extrovert.

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    1. It was hilarious to be sitting there and watch it all happen.

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  3. There is a well known probability linking the whole world. I can't remember the number but we are in any random situation only a few people from someone we know.
    Your chance was much higher as you all had at least one person in common.

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    1. I'm sure somebody has it figured out and done research.

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  4. One of the things about being brought up in Liverpool and then living in the Outer Hebrides for the greater part of my life is that it's impossible to go anywhere in the world without being able to make a connection with someone you are likely to meet. So one of my closest friends now is someone from Glasgow whom I met at a house party in New Zealand some years ago.

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    1. You guys must keep in contact. I'm sure we rub shoulders with people we know all the time. We just don't recognize them. I recognize very few of my former students.

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  5. What a nice story, amazing for your wife to find her date after all those years on a funeral. It is a small world sometimes. Did he look like you? :)

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    1. We are opposites. He's trim . I'm stocky. He's an extrovert. I'm an introvert.

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  6. It sounds like it was a wonderful coincidence indeed. And at a memorial for someone who continued to make connections for people even after death. :-)

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    1. I met the deceased in 1960 a long way from here. Two or three years after I moved here he moved here and about five houses away.

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    1. We probably rub shoulders with people we know without knowing it.

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  8. wow! that's incredibly cool! the world is SUCH a small place sometimes!

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  9. That is an INCREDIBLE coincidence!! What in the world are the odds of that!?

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  10. Yes, and you've just prompted a future post, for which I'm grateful. Thanks.

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    1. Interesting how other people's posts remind you of something.

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  11. I don't think that has ever happened to me.

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    1. I'm sure you've gone by people you know without knowing it.

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  12. None that stunning, but hubby has had a few cool events like that.

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    1. Maybe some people run into more people from their past than others.

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  13. How nice! It's such a small world, isn't it?

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  14. That is funy! You tell such wonderful stories!!!

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  15. Hey, this is absolutely true. No embellishment!

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  16. It definitely is a small world- what fun!

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  17. Hey that is amazing. I run into ex students all over the country. It all goes under the heading Small World out there...:)

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    1. I find with middle schoolers they cahage so much I don't recognize them

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  18. I can't remember something like this happening to me. Makes me want to keep thinking real hard though. I love stories like this.

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    1. Well, I've never seen one quite like this.

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  19. Gracious! Are you sure you don't live in Hawaii on our small island? How wonderful that they discovered each other.

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  20. Don't you just love how those things happen? It makes one wonder how often we cross paths with others we have known but don't realize it since we're not engaged in conversation in order to discover it. Your situation is particularly serendipitous since not only were you in the same place at the same time, you sat down and chatted until that information surfaced.

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