I write a lot about relationships and connection. There are, of course, different tiers, and I believe strongly in the whole, “friends for a reason, friends for a season, and friends for a lifetime” concept. I also believe in kindred spirits. And then there are just some connections that are, well, I don’t know how to categorize them: close in a bizarre universe-like kind of way. I know, John is already calling me “California hippy-dippy” again.

You see, in college (pre-Bubbey era), I had the biggest crush on well, multiple guys really, but one in particular who lived in my dorm. We were friends, and I was kinda captivated by his good looks, superstar academics, and playful personality. Long story short, he wasn’t interested in taking things to the next level, so fine. The next summer, John entered the picture and frankly, that was that. But A and I have loosely kept in touch throughout the years, and truthfully, weird coincidences just keep happening with him. Like he worked summer research gigs 20 minutes from my hometown in Maryland. I then went to grad school in his hometown. Several years later, John and I moved to California, where A’s company was based (but he was living in the DC area).

About five or six years ago, after we’d kinda been out of touch for maybe a year or more, I was walking in my neighborhood, adjacent to a shopping center and a large Franklin Templeton (financial/investment services) campus. I was walking the dogs, and I could have sworn I saw A. I was far enough away that I couldn’t run up with two hyper dogs, but damn, he just really looked like him– all decked out in a fancy suit, with the same quasi-hunched walk and pace that had become so familiar to me our freshman year. So that night, I emailed him and asked if by chance he was working around Franklin Templeton. Nope, that wasn’t him but he WAS in the Bay Area for work. I mean, he flies out here multiple times a year, but still. Pretty bizarre, right? Then something similar happened another time. Same deal: I thought of him, sent him an email, and voila, he was in the area.

So this week, I was driving on I-280 past all that open space lands, and I thought of A again. He told me that every time work would send him out here, he would stay with his buddy in SF and make the drive down 280 to the office in Menlo Park. He didn’t mind the long commute, because it was so scenic. So I dropped him a line again, and whatdya know, he had just flown into SFO and was in town for two days. I’m serious. It’s not like he’s in town for weeks at a time where our location/timing would really have long overlap. It’s just a day or two, and EVERY time I email him, he’s in town. Totally random, but dayum, I gotta give myself kudos for impeccable timing, right? That or some strange version of a sixth sense.