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Out to lunch yesterday with my dad, he made a proposal that I write on my site about the ironies I seem to encounter. Strange things happen to everyone, but sometimes I feel more “blessed” than others when it comes to odd coincidences. Especially since I’ve been in Leesburg.
Take for instance, the last 7 scheduled flights of mine have been on have been 1. cancelled or 2. delayed to some ridiculous extent. Seriously. Maybe this is just a reflection of flying these days. Maybe it is because these things seem to happen to me.
Take another odd happening: one beautiful day I was out biking on the W&OD trail. I had stopped to stretch after a few miles of biking. A large man was biking by, no helmet, his seat way too low, this was not your standard trail-rider. He slowed down to say something to me; but I was quite hesitant because I usually go out alone on the trail. Completely alone with no one in sight, this massive man approaching me was not ideal at the time. He got off his bike and said, “it’s okay, I am not one of those creepy guys”. Was that really supposed to relax me? He continued to ask if I knew the whereabouts of a homeless camp around the area. I had heard of a place in the woods with a homeless group, but I had no clue where to find it. He was wearing a Maryland Football shirt, and I was wearing my Duquesne Lacrosse shirt, so eventually we got talking about sports. I found out he played football at Maryland, so we talked about the Division I athletics college life- I thought we were relating with one another. He introduced himself as Dale, and I slowly warmed up to the guy, although he was still intimidating because of his heavy weight and apparent strength. He asked me if I wanted to help with a non-profit sports camp he was directing, and I expressed some interest to this offer. Next he asked for my number, and I said, “sorry I don’t have my phone (although it was in my back pocket), but I will try to find you online to talk the camp”. I don’t go giving my phone number out to strangers. When I got home I sat down at my computer and looked up the camp he was talking about and found Dale online. Turns out his real name is Delbert Cowsette, and he has played football for the Washington Redskins, New York Giants, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And here I
was, trying to relate with who I thought to be just another college athlete. I haven’t been able to get in touch with him ever since.
(Delbert Cowsette) —–>
I also work next-door to the Chris Cooley Art Gallery. I met him but didn’t know who he was. I thought his gallery was odd to have pottery and local art alongside of signed jerseys. Now that I know that he, too, plays for the Redskins, and may make it to the Hall of Fame, I understand the intermixed jerseys and artwork collection. I used to wave to him when he would come in, he looked important but I didn’t know he even played football until I was informed by my boss.
This whole conversation about ironies arose at our table at Jason’s Deli with my dad. Just minutes after discussing these odd moments, the ground started to shake. I thought, “wow, someone must be pushing a cart that is really rolling in this restaurant”. A hush came over the place, everyone looking frantically at one another. No one said anything. I thought aloud and said, “is this an earthquake?” I felt eyes dart towards me, then look back to each other., then looking to the shaking floor and the rattling tables. The rumbling intensified, and we all realized this was (for many of us) the first earthquake we had ever experienced. People responded quickly and ran to the door for safety. I, on the other hand, started to duck under the table, realizing that this probably was not the best solution. I followed my dad and escaped outside, where families held each other as the shaking ground subsided. After minutes passed, I looked at my dad and said, “you were right, I guess strange things do happen to me”. Not long after we had the conversation of ironies in my life, we experienced this natural phenomenon right there in the restaurant. Life is full of surprises.
Can we be friends forever? I just laughed my hind parts off JANNA! thanks for the link and loved the post.
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