I was returning to my seat during lunch, having had my biology lecture not too long prior, when I had a strange intuition that I recognized someone nearby. Having left most of my personal belongings behind to go pick up my order of tandoori chicken, it was upon my return that it became apparent that it was Gabby, my lab TA and neuroscience classmate from a quarter prior, sitting at a table both parallel and overlooking mine. 

For those who don’t know, Santa Clara University (where I go to college) isn’t the largest of schools, yet somehow the crossings (unless intentional) are far and few. And, as is often the case, once two people cross paths and lock eyes, recognizing each other, conversation sort of becomes unavoidable, so we talked. Little did I know the first thing she did was congratulate me (I guess it’s something coming from a TA) for some odd achievement or accomplishment I achieved last quarter, which I had knowledge of but never clarified to me. So, go me, I guess…

And thank you, Gabby.

It is often interesting to watch as conversations weave the way they do, especially when there’s been a significant (or at least noticeable) gap in time since two individuals (or even a group of individuals) last talked. Yet, it wasn’t like we had a world to catch up on either.

There’s just something so near and dear about the act of encountering—the act of crossing—that in and of itself is a way of conversing—a way of delight.

Odd encounters work wonders, and such an unexpected crossing definitely brought a glimmer to my day.