Moments of Serendipity

A moment of serendipity....

That was what Catherine said at the end of our meeting each other for the first time today.

I was in the cafe, working on various bits of admin, escaping the rain. I decided to extend my time into lunch by ordering a sandwich, when a woman came in and asked if she could sit at my table. ‘Of course, no problem,’ I said. Partway through both of us somewhat self-conciously keeping to ourselves, we started chatting - she a writer, me a painter - and the conversation naturally moved to the exchange of our names and creative ideas.

We talked about the light and shorter days. I showed her a recent picture I took close to 4 pm one afternoon - of a moon rising over the neighbouring Edinburgh buildings, with the faint pink sky as a backdrop. We talked of books, lines, and poetry, as well as the writing she was doing.

A few sentences she wrote and sent me afterwards perfectly reflect the moment when I took the photo:

'I swept back the curtains and stood watching the moon glide over the old tenement roofs in all her majesty. The same light had witnessed man’s follies and triumphs for millions of years. The thought calmed me and put my self-centred desires into perspective.'

I couldn’t help thinking we were meant to meet and I’m sure we will meet at that cafe for a coffee again.

Moments of serendipity and unexpected collaborations….