It makes you go "hmmmmm....."

We all have those experiences, don't we? The ones that make you go, "hmmmmmm....." The ones that make you ponder whether what happens in our lives is random or whether there are some bored gods somewhere playing D&D, the Earth version.

My hmmmm moment(s) happened tonight on a bike ride. A Man Called Horse and I were riding south on the bike path. It's a route that runs kind of out in the middle of nowhere, between the river and a major interstate.

We were about 9 miles from my house when we came around a curve and a group of a dozen or more people were crossing the path, walking from the river to what turned out to be a boathouse. As we slowed down to avoid hitting them, I realized one of them was a good friend, G. And a few people behind her was another friend, L.

We stopped and were all surprised to see each other out there. They were taking their first rowing class and  .... it doesn't matter really. After we'd all greeted each other, A Man Called Horse and I left them to their class and rode on for a few more miles.

Then on our way back as we came up to that spot again, I said, "I wonder if they're on the river and if we'll see them." Not 10 seconds later they flagged us down from their car on the side of the road. They were finished with their lesson and had just been leaving when we came into sight.

What The Fuck?

How the hell does shit like that happen? If we'd ridden past one minute sooner, we wouldn't have seen them and they wouldn't have recognized us even if they'd seen us from the river. If we'd ridden by one minute later on the way back, they would already have driven away, back to the city where they live. The odds of us meeting up on that bike path -- them at their rowing lesson and us riding along 9 miles from downtown -- have to be about the same as the odds we'll find Martians on Mars ..... well, maybe not that great.

What do you think? Cosmic fuckery? Or just coincidence both times? Something else? Don't look at me. I've got nothing but the story. But if I had to venture a guess, I'd just say Miss Serendipity is laughing .... again.