Randoms

When I titled this blog, I did not put much thought into it. I really, really like Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog and I like that part where Billy brings frozen yogurt to the laundromat and notes what a "crazy random happenstance" it is that the frozen yogurt place gave him two frozen yogurts and Penny loves frozen yogurt. And I thought it was a fun thing to say.

No real thought put into that, you see.

Except after a couple instances this weekend, I'm beginning to realize that life is indeed a series of crazy, random happenstances. Profound I know.

The first happened on Friday. I was at work attempting to do some research on a file. I finally gave up looking through our archaic resources and made a phone call to another attorney who has much better resources. After I had my question answered, we started talking about our impending weekends and somehow we ended up talking about college. Turns out we were in two of the same classes during our college years and never knew each other.

Random, right?

Things continued in the random variety all day. I went to the grocery store for soy milk and walked into an old floor mate from my freshman year of college. And by walked into - I mean, I walked into her and nearly knocked the soy milk from my hands.

The randomness continued the following morning. I was rushing to New Haven to grab the 7:55 train to Grand Central where I was to meet my brother and family. I heard it choo chooing away as I raced down the stairs of the parking garage. I sighed. Noticed that I had twenty minutes for the next train. Waited in the long line for the bathroom. Bought a bottle of water. And strolled to track ten. I sat in my seat and as we were about to take off, a women with her daughter and two granddaughters came into the train looking for seats. She was quite vocal about her distaste and having to sit so separated from each other. In order to make things easier on everyone I gave up my seat so the could sit near each other. I really didn't need to have these folks talking back and forth over my head for the 90+ minutes.

I ended up sitting next to a recent graduate from the Yale Divinity School who worked with a nonprofit organization and was headed into the City for a training with Eve Ensler. At Parsons. I asked her if Tim Gunn would make an appearance (even though we all know he no longer works at Parsons.)

We talked continuously for the whole train ride about our pasts as organizers and giddiness over the impending administration. It was a great conversation and the train ride was over in a flash.

Random.

And so unlike my normal train experiences which involve me sitting with my iPod blaring and book on my lap ignoring the people around me. Not really much of a talker. This was an interesting change of pace.

But I still had a slight moment of wondering about where my life is headed. What is it I aspire to? I am not ever quite sure. I am pretty damn sure it isn't the work I am currently doing. But for now I stay here. I'm not really in a place to consider changes. Any change I make right now is not for the right reasons. And there's that whole issues of a tanking economy. You know, the little things.

Since my mother passed away I've been consumed with this need to figure out a way to live the best version of my life. It sounds cliche, I know. But, how do you best honor someone who was so important to you. I don't know her that well. Or I should say I don't know the woman my mother was before she was my mother very well. Based on what I do know, I think a lot about what she may have wanted from life. And I feel like it's my responsibility to live that out for her.

All that thinking based on a conversation with a stranger during a train ride. It's a talent.

The randomness was over, I thought, for the weekend. Until I made it into the mall the following day (Sunday) and noticed one of my favorite Starbucks guys from the Farmington Starbucks working at the one in the mall. Sadly, he will be there for the rest of the holiday season making my afternoon coffee runs less lively.

Now of course, I feel compelled to look for all the randoms in my life.