Coincidence -

Scott and I were blessed with the opportunity to spend a few days south of Palm Springs, CA, in La Quinta, CA, this past week. The warmth and change of scenery were just what the doctor ordered.

Interestingly, I had an encounter that I just can't brush off. Call it coincidence, chance, but for me, it was a moment of divine coordination.

Scott and I seldom shop on Sundays, but this day we decided to return to two stores (we had purchased items initially, but wanted one last walk-through, just in case we missed anything).

We walked through one store, purchased "just what we were looking for," and a soda. We sat down outside, drank our soda, and decided to walk to the other store. As we came out onto the public sidewalk, walking toward me was a woman.

Let me digress -
My hair is beautiful! It is the one thing about my body that makes me smile right now. It is thick, has some curl, and is a beautiful silver-gray-black. I like it. It is certainly not what I expected, so I am pleased. My doctors and their staff, as well as family, friends, and other cancer patients have commented about my hair - using terms like I mentioned. I also get some jealousy from other cancer survivors - my hair is so thin, my hair is an ugly mousy color, my hair is growing so slow, what are you using?

So here I am, holding Scott's hand, walking, and here comes this beautiful woman. Her hair is my hair! Our eyes connect, we both smile, laugh, and engage in a very quick 3 minute conversation. We went deep, waaaaay deep in those 3 minutes - talking about hair, haircuts (she had just gotten her first), type of cancer, chemotherapy, radiation, energy, the need for mentors, how our husbands are tired of us talking about cancer, and bright colors. We hugged as if we were sisters, yet we did not share our names. It was beautiful.

I know we could have had a 3 hour conversation on the patio sipping iced tea, I know we could have become best friends, I know there was more at work here than just us slipping into each others' path. I floated high the rest of the day because of this short interchange.

Little things mean a lot, small gestures are just as important as monumental movement. A kind hand, a smile, a quick kind word, a hug at the right moment. Being in tune and ready to act is so important to me, particularly right now. I want to bring this tiny souvenir home with me from this cancer journey. There are no coincidences, luck, there are opportunities to share, all around us. We just need to be in tune.