Recently I have been reflecting on the ever changing cast of characters in my life and asking myself why we have obviously chosen to show up in each other's lives.  We arrive at an 'intersection' - meet - and go our separate ways.  Our chance encounters have left lasting impressions and redirected the trajectory of our lives or confirmed that we are headed in the right direction. 

The words we have shared and thoughts that have arisen during these encounters can echo for years into the future.

If you have ever traveled far from home and left a familiar circle of friends and family you know that the people you have met on the road have left an indelible impression on your heart and psyche.  Not more so than those closest to you but in a way that is easier to reference.

Years from the initial meeting you will think back to that time and place and wonder what became of that travel companion.  What was so special about her?  Did she go back to work in a cubicle?  Sign up with the Peace Corps? Complete her PhD? 

The people you met in the farthest corners of the world you saw as brave at so many levels: they left home and security, put careers on hold, faced the judgement of friends and family, navigated foreign cities and talked their way past border guards as if their lives depended on it.  It is strange how you can't take in the fact that you were just as courageous and resourceful.  Alone in a foreign country your transformation into an approachable and interested person was so subtle as to be beyond your powers of observation. 

In the current economic climate it is normal to change jobs frequently - by choice or otherwise.  This is yet another way to meet strangers who, in a matter of a few conversations reveal their identities to you as ancient friends from your soul group.  Sharing life experiences, revealing war wounds and comparing your dreams for the future at the exact right moment can validate and inject some much needed confidence into your resolve to find the ‘real' you.  The real you that the world ‘needs' to see.

I love the fact that my current circle of friends started out as total strangers; some stranger than others.  Cultivating and tending to these friendships and acquaintances has blessed me with richly textured experiences. These relationships hold up mirrors as to where I am in my spiritual growth and signposts as to directions I am meant to take. 

The art of reading messages and looking for symbols in your own life can be frustrating beyond words but once you are able to capture the essence of the simplicity of this art form it is rewarding beyond belief. 

Bless all of the hearts and souls that you meet because before you arrived in this lifetime you agreed to help each other along the way.  The smallest kindness - a gesture, a smile, a word - can never be underestimated or weighted with too much importance.  The random acts of kindness concept is not new but you can find ways to re-invent it.