You Just Never Know

Who you may meet in line in the grocery store, sitting next you on an airplane or, in my case, sitting next to on a lab bench at the University of Florida. I was working there today for the first time. The first time that I have to go to a site can be a bit stressful just because you don't know where you are going and you don't know who you will be working with. Sometimes the roadways throughout a town are complex, other times they are simple. Although my GPS always comes in handy, it does not take into account the medians or closed lanes due to construction. Not only do you have to navigate your way through unfamiliar territory, you also have to establish new working relationships with people who may or may not be happy to see you coming....it's just the nature of what I do. In any case, when you travel on a regular and you strike up the rare, encouraging, just what you need kind of conversation with a random stranger - you get this overwhelming sense that this stranger is no coincidence whatsoever.

This happened to me today. I was working and minding my own business when the other monitor walked into the lab. I did not think much of her at first. We casually started talking about how we had gotten to where we are in our careers, so on and so forth. The entire time that we were talking I could tell that there was something different about her. There was just a genuine concern to really get to know me and the same was true for me. I really wanted to hear about her life. I will spare you all of the pointless details but my point here is this - she was just who I needed to run into today. We had so much in common. She is a little bit older than me but shares the same values, beliefs, jobs and single life. I needed to meet her. I needed to know that other single, professional women exist and feel the same way that I do sometimes. I needed to know that what I occasionally feel is normal and that I am not alone in all of it. I just needed to meet someone who has walked a mile in my shoes.

As I think about this no so "chance" encounter, I began to ask myself - what kind of vibe to I give off? Am I open to truly hearing other people? Am I approachable? Do people know that there is something different in my life? I hope so. I hope to share with others just a little part of me so that they, too, may be encouraged to know that there just so happens to be someone out there that understands.