What Are The Odds?
I recently received an email from an Indian woman living outside Washington DC. She discovered my book by chance one morning while waiting with another mom at the school bus stop. The other mom wanted her opinion on whether Bangles, Bindis and Babies would be a good book to include in a wedding shower gift basket for a couple about to embark on a cross cultural marriage.
She tells me she immediately recognized the words in the title, having grown up in India herself, bangles and bindis needed no explanation. But, she hadn’t heard of my book before. After considering the title, her eye caught my name. While Elizabeth meant nothing to her, the last name, Chennamchetty, sure did.
Could it be?
She went home to google and found my blog. She could relate as a mother of small children herself. But, after seeing Vijay’s picture on the site, she realized that Vijay, my husband, is in fact a long lost crush from back in the day, in India. A childhood crush that somehow, after all these years, was remembered in such an unusual fashion.
Our exchange left me wondering, what are the odds of this woman finding me? At times when the world seems so large that you can get lost in it, this woman, from a country of over one billion people, choose to settle in the United States. She was asked about Bangles, Bindis and Babies in passing at a bus stop. What are the chances of that happening?
It reminded me that you just never know who you will meet or where you’ll meet them. Life zig-zags in so many strange and pleasant ways. That’s what makes it so exciting. This connection reminded me to keep writing and speaking about culture, love, life and happiness.
We have since had several lovely exchanges, she has read my book and her mom friend mailed me a copy of my book to autograph. She will include it in the shower basket. And, the next time I find myself on the east coast, I’m going to reach out to my new friend for some chai.
Love this! Well done!
Lovely ! It is indeed a small world!
What a great story. Hope you all do get to meet!