It happened three different times in the same familiar place.
I pulled into my grocery store lot and parked my car in-between the painted yellow lines, shifting the steering wheel so that my tires pointed straight. I grabbed my purse and quickened my pace toward the sliding doors. As I entered I observed an older man carrying a bouquet of flowers in his hands. The bright-colored daffodils formed a rainbow of pink, blue and green against the gray of his sweater. I smiled at him as we crossed paths and noticed how his thin-wired glasses rested on his nose. He walked fast, maybe eager to give these flowers to his date, wife, or perhaps even his mistress. I did not know his story, but the moment made enough of an impression for this image stick. An ordinary excursion to the grocery store became one in which I attempted to fill in the blanks about someone else’s life.
I did not think about this encounter until it happened again almost four weeks later, at the same grocery store. This time I didn’t bother to park my car straight. The air possessed a cold chill and my feet shivered because I had slipped on the pair of flip-flops nearest to my garage door. This time another man appeared as I walked the gray pavement. Like a lightning bolt in the middle of my ordinary, this forty-something man, in a button down white shirt and faded blue jeans, balanced a dozen red roses in his hands. His face had what looked like a pregnancy glow. His shiny hair, shoes that looked recently buffed, and a faint smell of aftershave made it clear he wanted to make an impression. Perhaps it was a first date with a woman he met online. Or maybe he wanted to use these roses as a form of apology because he stayed out too late with the guys the night before. Or that bulge in his back pocket disguised his engagement ring for his surprise proposal at the restaurant to the woman of his dreams that he found after a very messy divorce. His faced seemed eager. The roses seemed to whisper second chances.
To be honest, I dismissed my second intersection with the man and the flowers as a coincidence. I felt silly even thinking about the “meaning” behind these two separate, but very similar occurrences. But when the same thing appeared a third time, I could not easily dismiss it.
In the third incident, a man came out of the entrance door even though he was on his way out. It was mid-afternoon on a day when the desert’s sun did not want to hide. I remember catching a glance at the sky and admiring the deep clarity of the light blue. On this particular day, my cadence was not hurried because I had some time before tackling my next task. I saw him in the corner of my eye. The tapping sound of a cane caught my attention first. Looking sideways, I saw an older man with a trimmed beard. His hands held white flowers. Again, on another day, a different man with a set of flowers that appeared to make yet another statement. I looked at this man with intention. His pants did not seem to fit, his feet were labored, and he maneuvered his cane like a companion. His eyes looked tired, like he had shed his final tears the night before. I wondered if these flowers were for his wife who suffered from Alzheimer’s and could no longer recognize him. Or whether he just lost a dear childhood friend. In that moment, it looked like these white lilies were his saviors.
I am not certain why these very different men appeared in my life. It could be coincidence. Or it could be one of those reminders.
Everyone has a story. I think we all forget that sometimes. As we run our errands, fill up our gas tanks, wait in traffic, we dismiss nameless faces who carry stories just like ours. There are common threads among all of us.
And perhaps these flowers helped me realize that we are all trying to connect the dots.
This post originally appeared on First Day Press, where I contribute weekly musings every Wednesday.
Beautiful, may those bouquets have blessed someone’s day.
We never know the story behind most gestures.
A few weeks ago the hubby and I were at the beach photographing the sunrise. As we walked away a couple who appeared about 30 walked onto the beach. We went to the pier and looking down I noticed they had separated and he’d written something in the sand. I glanced again and saw them embracing. The words in the sand were “I love you. Will you marry me?” I guess she said yes! I really wanted a photograph but felt I’d be intrusive to even shoot it with a zoom lens.
Wow, what a wonderful story and moment you witnessed!
That is a really striking set of events and images, Rudri. I’m also sitting here trying to figure out what that could mean. I don’t know if I am being superstitious or not, but I do tend to notice and try to make meaning out of patterns like this. Some people think I overthink things but a friend of mine recently told me that she’d read something about coincidences happening far more frequently in our lives than we believe. I believe that we get images and experiences for a reason.
Cecilia,
I am glad that I am not alone in trying to decipher the various patterns that sometimes appear in my path. Certain experiences, I believe, act as whispers to either make a decision or reevaluate a struggle that may exist in your life. I don’t know if it is always identifiable, but it is worth pondering.
Sorry, SuziCate, I had originally responded to your comment saying what a wonderful moment you had witnessed on the beach! But it looks like it didn’t go through and instead my comment to Rudri appeared here as a reply to you.
I love reading your posts… if you had said red roses I was going to gasp because my husband is always there bringing them home to me. I know I’ve told him before that they are my least favorite roses, but he has continued to bring them home to me and I know it makes him feel good. It’s not that I’m unappreciative, I think they remind me of past funerals and the “sprays” on top of caskets or in arrangements next to them. I know for most they signify “love,” but for me they signify “death.” You’re right there, we all have a story and it’s probably nothing close to anything we would’ve ever expected?!
Thanks, Angie, for reading and commenting. If I hand a chance to go back and interview each one of the men that I encountered, I am certain their stories probably are much different then I envisioned. What we perceive is rarely the truth. Thanks for adding your insights.
Wow!! Beautiful words…. I loved how you imagined what each person was doing. I believe each flower was meant for you to see, with maybe a hidden meaning from above… Glad I found you via Sitsgirls. 🙂
Welcome Pam!
I am grateful that my words resonated. For some reason, yes, I do believe a hidden message existed in each one of these intersections. I may never know what the whispers mean, but it will always linger in my mind.
I do that too… Making up stories… And you’re right everyone does have a story!