[Caelum]

Hi Dreamers! I know this might have been brought up in the past but I must ask...

Have any of you had any special kind of encounters with strangers, and have failed to salvage the newly formed bond? I meet many wonderful people every now and then, but only when I don't intend to. This usually leads me to double-take on the situation, hours later, only to find that I've missed a rare opportunity to have a life-long friend.

As a small example: When I was a young teenager, I went out to a very popular asian grocery store that was far from home with my parents. I brought my mp3 player and humongo headphones with me at the time, and spent a good half-hour wandering around the store, listening to my music. While bouncing my head around in the fruits and vegetables area, I look down for one second, only to look back up again in an eye-lock with a girl standing directly in front of me--a girl who had the same kind of headphones on! She smiled. Then I smiled. And then we both walked away, never to see each other again.

It's a bittersweet thing, because it's like I've shared the biggest secret in the world with the biggest stranger in the world, in the briefest amount of time imaginable.

Please share if you have anything!

 

[waterviolet]

It's much the same story as yours. A lost glance from across the grocery store. I even came up with dialogue but never had the opportunity much less the guts to use it. I have met other's similarly, stolen glances and then a chance meeting some time down the road. In the latter case, things never worked out for one reason or another. Even if the moment was simply meant to exist for the sole purpose of sparking you to take a chance later on in life - the encounter was meant to be. There's hidden purpose in everything.

 

[ptarmigan]

I think I have had many experiences just like this, lol. Suddenly catching the eyes of a girl I don't know and seeing her smile is a very powerful experience to me! A couple of times I can think of I locked eyes with someone for what seemed like a really long time I got scared and looked away and felt shaken up. I thought back on them afterward and wondered why the obvious thing of smiling and saying something hadn't occurred to me. One time it was a girl I knew and liked. What a bummer to have done nothing. Like waterviolet suggests, maybe it is just there to teach me of the importance of acting when I have the chance, and putting myself out there.

 

[Scarlet Winter]

I've had this happen so often!
The one that really sticks in my mind was when I was on a train in Ireland. There was this guy with his friends they were visiting from Wales. We talked a bit on the train but then suddenly it was their stop and he got up and his friends surrounded him and he got shoved out the door and off the train, but as he was going he kept trying to free himself and get back to me. He shouted "aren't you coming pretty?", but I hesitated and by the time I made it off the train I couldn't find him:sad: he was already completely lost in the crowd!

 

[Caelum]

That's so romantic, but so tragic! >_< I'd love to meet a stranger on a train and chat, but I'd be devastated if I'd never get to see them again. If you can remember anything about him maybe you can search for him on the net?

 

[limelight3]

This happens to me all the time! I really should learn to do something about it, but I don't. *sigh*

The most memorable time was a couple of semesters ago during finals. I was taking a break from studying, so I went up to the music section to listen to some 45's on one of the library's turntables. Anyways, I was listening to my music, when this cute guy takes the booth next to me and was obviously having some trouble figuring out how to plug in his headphones. I kinda leaned over to help him, and we started chatting about our music choices. We both liked the same style of music, so we had a good time sharing music and opinions about records vs digital, etc. We only talked for about 30 minutes when I had to get to class, so I got up to go return my equipment. As I was walking away, he grabbed my hand and just thanked me for helping a crummy day get better. I smiled, said your welcome, and WALKED AWAY!!!! :frustrating: I don't know if I'm genetically stupid, or what, but man do I regret that. FAIL. *shrug* Oh well. Maybe one day we'll run into each other on campus again. C'est la vie.

 

[Schnue]

I fell in love with a boy on the bus once. I even went out of my way to take the same bus at the same time several times, but I never saw him again.

Yes, it sounds creepy. And it's even creepier that I have his photo > . >

But hey! It was for a photography assignment on portraiture!

I'M NOT SICK. DON'T JUDGE ME. :crying:

 

[bluemaverick]

I saw Clerks 2 in theaters when it came out in the morning, and saw an amazingly beautiful girl with an awesome smile hanging out with a bunch of her friends a couple of rows in front of me...
She just kept staring at me the whole time the movie was playing and I never did ANYTHING.
I always wished I could get that moment back.

 

[GreenCoyote]

I fell in love at a party the other night.
a very positive and cute/charming guy was very playful with me and it really made my night.
well that and the epic bass in the room.

 

[nikkigargin]

No, i think you just put to much importance on something insignificant as one human being acknowledging another. rarely do people go to supermarkets to meet people lol this girl didnt talk to you either dont forget its not as if you messed it up.

NF's please improve your Te and Ti!

 

[Caelum]

No, i think you just put to much importance on something insignificant as one human being acknowledging another. rarely do people go to supermarkets to meet people lol this girl didnt talk to you either dont forget its not as if you messed it up.

NF's please improve your Te and Ti!

Now that's something to think about. However, while I do understand your perspective, and I appreciate it especially since now I can balance my feelings out--I think that's an even greater reason to place importance on something "insignificant" such as acknowledging another human being. Do you realize that what you said is true? "Rarely do people go to supermarkets to meet people". You are absolutely correct! That's exactly why we care so much about the insignificance--we NF's value pretty much the most important thing on earth--each other! Human beings! So to me, and I'm sure with a lot of other NF's, acknowledgment is an act that is highly undervalued and highly underappreciated, since we can do it practically everywhere--except the context is what makes it so special--the fact that we can acknowledge another human being in a place like a supermarket? Or a train? Or a library? Or a theater? Those kinds of contexts don't require any acknowledging at all, because each of those contexts have their own purposes to begin with. That's why when we can attach an association with the context, such as an acknowledgment of a stranger, then the ordinary becomes the extraordinary. So although we can acknowledge everywhere, the fact is--we don't!.. But when we do, it always becomes that much more special..

 

[Essay]

I think I'm pretty good at capitalizing on these kinds of occasions. If I think there's potential for a lasting friendship, we're going to get each others' e-mail, or facebook, or skype, or figure out each others' schedules...I'll see to that (but remember, that's an "if" statement). Heck, when I first moved a big foreign city last year I was always carrying around a pen and paper mostly for that reason. That said, I don't think there's ever been romantic overtones; I'm just not wired that way or something. For that to happen, I usually need a few months of quality time with the person.

 

[kaycee]

At work the other other day, I was wearing a Hendrix shirt and an older guy started talking to me about him. After I gave him his coffee, there was a cute guy wanting coffee. He apparently was a huge Hendrix fan and a fan of the music of that era in general. We chatted for a few minutes and then there was this moment where we both looked in each others' eyes and smiled.


And then he said, "Alright, well, have a good day."


Today was my last day of work, so I don't think I'll be seeing him again :frustrating:

 

[minkaybell]

it depends on my mood...

and kaycee, i LOVE your signature.

 

[GreenCoyote]

this happens to me too, but at the same time... if they were important than they have a way of either A) making an impact and B) coming around again.

 

[Halcy0n]

That happens to me all the time! I was on a train the other night, and I met with a girl about my age. We both happened to have chocolate with us so we traded pieces and smiled and it was a very pleasant ride. roud:

 

[GreenCoyote]

That happens to me all the time! I was on a train the other night, and I met with a girl about my age. We both happened to have chocolate with us so we traded pieces and smiled and it was a very pleasant ride. roud:

how have you been?
I never get to see you post ever

 

[rowingineden]

I once spent the whole night with a girl I had just met just talking, and uh... we haven't talked since.

 

[Raichan]

I had shared a rather odd but exciting vibe with this hot Bangladeshi waiter at a restaurant :crazy: I wish I had gotten the chance to talk to him but my family was around :blushed:

 

[strawberryLola]

I met this wonderful stranger, ENTJ randomly on a Saturday night..

I had some printing to do for a fund-raising event. I needed posters printed, and was about to go the one right around the corner from my house. I call up the place, and something just told me not to go there... it didn't feel right for some reason. Besides, I needed to drop $120 on those posters and it was just crappy copy paper printed in a large format.

For some reason, I just got this urge to call up this printing place I used to go to like 5 years back, and I call, get a quote, and told the guy I'd rush to get there because I needed it done, and he told me that he'd stay late just to help me.

I get there, and "Wow" there was this instant connection. At first he tried plugging in my watchmacallit- external hard-drive and forgot to turn it on, so I helped him with that. He ended up going above and beyond in helping me. We got all posters printed. He got them mounted, gave me a fat discount, and during that whole time? We just 'connected.'

It was so weird. Then I invited him out for dinner, because he stayed much later than expected, and on top of that, I payed less than what I was supposed to.. it was my way of saying thank you.

Anyway, to make a long story short, he suffered from PTSD, due to some horrific stuff in his life. It was strange because it felt like I had known him my entire life. He ended up going to dinner with me, but since he's due to leave for the middle-east to fight, I don't think things are going anywhere.. but it definitely was a chance encounter.. Really cool guy! Oh and we still k.i.t., which is cool, but yeah.. life's too complicated. =) I loved his slightly British/Australian accent as well..