May
20
Chance Encounters . . .
May 20, 2007 | 1 Comment
Yesterday I bumped into an old colleague on the streets of Islington in north London. This is the third time in about 15 years that I’ve randomly met someone I used know in what must rank as one of the world’s most populous cities. In a place with a population of 7.5 million the question, is this above or below average?
Of course I’ve bumped into flatmates while shopping in the supermarket but that doesn’t really count, ditto for when you meet an acquaintance brought along unexpectedly by another friend to the pub.
So how do you actually define a chance encounter? I’d say a completely unplanned meet with someone you knew but haven’t seen for more than a 18 months. Don’t really know why I said 18 months . . . I guess that’s just on the cusp of when you start to wonder about what so-and-so is doing these days and that really, you should send them an e-Mail or something. Does it still count if you are with an unrelated third-party when the meet occurs. . . ? Yesterday I was walking down the road after the FA cup Final with Ben when Bill suddenly appeared. Hadn’t seen Bill in 3 years or so but how likely would the encounter have been if Ben hadn’t been there?
All said and done I reckon 3 meets in 15 years is pretty poor. I should get out more.
Comments
1 Comment so far
You need to get out more.