On the drive home I was like a repeating commercial popping up between every set of songs.
Isn’t that crazy?
What are the odds?
And to have our meeting trace back to something I was inspired to write because of another writer?!
Yesterday my husband and I took a drive to Lion’s Den Gorge. I’d written about the hiking trails a few weeks ago when a reader posted a few pictures from his family’s visit on Instagram.
Being a holiday, the picturesque park was mobbed with people and dogs. We parked on the grassy roadside, beyond the overflow parking lot.
Coaxing Henrietta along, trying to navigate strollers, outstretched hands, rumbling motorcycles, and scraps of beef jerky on the pavement my husband and I kept up a steady stream of: C’mon girl, Henri—Let’s go!, Good girl Henrietta!
Right before the trail’s start, I heard my name spoken in question form, with a slight rise in tone at the end. I looked up, and my husband looked over to the man who’d said Gail?…followed by Henrietta?.
I was blank—without recognition.
“I’m Jim Farina,” he said, “from Medium.”
The light turned on! Jim and I have read each other’s writing and connected through comments on electronic platforms like Medium and Slack.
Jim recognized me because of my profile photo and my stories about puppy Henrietta.
We introduced ourselves and our families, shared a few brief sentences, and then disappeared our separate ways into the crowd.
On vacation, traveling north from Illinois, Jim’s family stopped to investigate Lion’s Den Gorge—in part because I’d written about it.
The whole experience gave me a warm feeling.
The world is full of wonder.
What a fun surprise!
Ripples Radiate
Always remember….
Ripples Radiate
Last night at dinner I said to my husband, “The experience reminds me of the movies Crash…and, Pay It Forward. What we do touches others….and sometimes comes back to us.”
What are you putting out?
What is coming back?
For great nature and family photos sure to make you smile…Tim Cigelske.
For a story filled with thoughtfulness, empathy, and humanity, read a story from Jim Farina here.