Missed Connections

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Have you ever read that section of the newspaper and wondered if they ever found the person they were looking for?

Sometimes it astounds me that our lives are so precariously connected. Each small decision you make directly affects who you meet, and who you don’t; who will impact your life, and who won’t. Do you turn left or do you turn right? Say “Hello”, or keep walking? There is no way of knowing how each individual you connect with will contribute or detract from the quality of your life, but each individual will, in some way, have a part in shaping your destiny.

I remember that August afternoon at work. I was on the sales floor straightening merchandise which I had already pretended to straighten many times before, just to look busy. I stared wistfully out the tall glass front doors. It was warm and sunny out. I wondered if I would be able to convince the supervisor to let me go home early.

A customer wandered around my department, just browsing. Picking up merchandise, looking at it, and putting it back. He was wearing a baseball hat and was turned mostly away from me, but I could tell he was Hispanic. I decided to practice my Spanish - one of the only things I enjoyed about my job.

“Necesitas ayuda?” Do you need help, I asked him. He turned and looked at me. Our eyes met and I had the sensation of my heart skipping a beat. I felt a connection, a recognition between our souls. My cheeks burned hot, and I saw that his face had flushed, too.

He would later tell me that he was scared out his mind to ask me for my phone number, but he summoned all his courage and forced himself to do it.

We have been married over 10 years now.

Sometimes I wonder what if I had played hooky from work that day? What if I had decided not to approach him? What if he had never wandered into the store on a whim, and instead had kept walking home - which is where he was going. What if he had let his shyness overcome him and never asked for my phone number? Would we be just another missed connection? Where would he be now? Where would I be?

“There are no little events in life, those we think of no consequence may be full of fate, and it is at our own risk if we neglect the acquaintances and opportunities that seem to be casually offered, and of small importance.” ~ Amelia E. Barr

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