What Do Surprise Encounters Mean To You?
Quite a few years ago I went to New York to watch my youngest daughter graduate from college. I could hardly believe that it had been 8 years since we dropped her off at a dorm and prayed that she would make it in one of the largest cities in the United States.
We came from a small town in California where most of the people I had grown up with now had children of their own and we watched them end up in the same class and become friends as well. I always taught my daughters to be confident and independent, and now I lived in the truth that my oldest had moved to Los Angeles (600 miles away from us) and my youngest decided she wanted to pursue the fashion industry on the East Coast.
Hi, I’m Phylis Mantelli
I’m an author, speaker, and life coach to unmothered women based in the Bay Area of California. On this blog, you will read about encouragement, family life, coaching, and my podcast. Learn more about me.
As I quickly learned upon visiting her several times during those four years, she had really become a "New Yorker" in every sense of the word. She knew how to get around this huge city by bus, subway or just plain old walking. She learned how to order food from Seamless like a pro, and most of all she had no time for small talk with strangers.
New Yorkers always know when you are from out of town or especially from California because we are too smiley and nice! So as I tell you this story, you will understand why my daughter shakes her head every time I meet a stranger and get them to tell me their story. I am a talker and consider myself an encourager of people. I love to make them feel better by the time we finish a conversation, and it was no different on this day.
My daughters and I decided to get our hair styled at one of those "Dry Bars" salons before her graduation. We walked in and waited for our assigned person who would be helping us that day. My guy was a sweet young man named Michael (and if you are reading this Michael "HI!") and he proceeded to ask me some questions about why I was there and where I lived, etc., but as I always do, I asked a few of my own questions about him. He had just moved to New York a few short months ago and we started sharing stories of our past and it came as no surprise that we had a lot in common from our childhoods even though we are years apart in age.
This never surprises me as I believe God always puts me exactly where I should be at the perfect time. There are no coincidences in life; you either see the blessing or you don't. We spent the next 50 minutes or so talking away and I made a new friend that I may never see again, but we both left with smiles on our faces and I left with amazing clean and styled hair.
We left the salon and my youngest replied " What in the world were you talking about with your stylist?"
"Life!" I smiled at her and laughed. It was then that she said to me,
"Mom, you have a gift. Every time we go somewhere you get people to tell you their whole life story. I live here and I never have that happen to me!"
As the years have passed, I watch both my girls with that same quality now. They are generous and kind to people and their friends. They are loyal and loving. Surprise encounters will bless you and the other person as well, because after all, isn’t that what we are on this earth for?