A Chance Meeting

I was awake far too early this morning and listened to On Your Farm on Radio 4. A young couple - Shell and Phil, who were selling their house in Wales to buy a small-holding and become self sufficient. They already have 3 allotments and 30 chickens but becoming totally self-sufficient is something different.

What actually caught my ear is how they met. On a train. Shell was very ill at the time and had to keep dashing to the toilet. This total stranger was concerned for her welfare and looked after her during their shared journey and gave her his number just to check she got home OK. Isn't it it strange how these serendipitous moments, meeting a total stranger, can have such a huge impact on our lives. Who would have thought that she'd meet her life partner on a train and that they'd end up having so much in common that they are now looking at changing their lives so completely, leaving their homes, giving up their jobs and going to do what they believe in and enjoy. As Phil observed at one point "people are more interested in status, possession and short-term gains rather than investing in the longer-term".

I can think of many instances when I've met a total strange (just a friend you haven't met yet) who has turned out to become a very good friend.