A Chance Encounter –
This is the story of a special event that took place during my temporary move to Texas back in 2004. Its a perfect example of the benefits you receive when you follow your instincts.
For several months I had been talking to an old friend about putting our band back together, to see if we could make a CD. It had been a good 10 years since the last time we tried to do that. Some dreams are stubborn, this was one of them. I had chased the dream the better part of my adult life, without success. I had reached the point where I was willing to give it one more try, so I decided to leave Colorado and move to Southern Texas and put together a rock band with my friend.
Because I would be moving into a furnished apartment, I sold most of my furniture. This allowed me to pack up everything else I owned into a 12 foot enclosed trailer, which I then towed with my full size pickup truck. It would be a long drive to SA, about 1000 miles. I was excited. I saw it as a big adventure and a chance to see an old friend.
On My Way
I had been driving for about 10 hours, with at least another 4 hours to go, when I decided it was time to find a motel rather than drive any further. Mostly because I was tired, but also because I thought it would be better to arrive at my destination in the morning rather than get to SA in the middle of the night. The goal was to arrive early in the morning so I could unload the trailer before it got too hot. It’s Southern Texas, it gets hot early and stays that way.
I soon found a small motel and thought to myself ‘I passed a liquor store a few minutes ago that had a dirt parking lot big enough for my pickup truck and trailer’, so I decided to go back and get a couple of beers for my stay in the motel. So I made a U-turn and I drove back to the liquor store to make my purchase.
A Chance Encounter
When I entered the tiny store the couple that owned the establishment were very friendly and we continued our conversation even after I had completed my purchase. At one point I mentioned to them that I was moving from Colorado Springs, Colorado to San Antonio and that I would be staying in town overnight. When I mentioned ‘Colorado Springs’ the couple kind of tensed-up a little bit, I wasn’t sure why.
After a few long seconds the wife said to her husband “should I tell him?”. The husband responded “sure, if you want to… do what makes you comfortable”. She then proceeded to let me know that their daughter had been attending college in Colorado Springs and that she had been killed by a drunk driver about six months prior.
As she told me more details I said “I remember reading about the accident in the paper, your daughter drove a Jeep and she was hit by a Military Jeep full of drunk soldiers from Fort Carson”. I told them how sorry I was that she had died from her injuries and that the city has had problems with off-duty military personnel from the base for years.
They continued to tell me about how much their daughter loved Colorado Springs and that she often spoke about her favorite place to visit, Garden of the Gods , just outside the city, it was her ‘happy place’. Garden of the Gods is 862 acres of beautiful rock formations, it was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971. It’s a wonderfully unique area to hike, drive, or ride a bike. (Personally, it was also my favorite place to hike)
The Picture
While talking to the couple about ‘Garden of the Gods’ I remembered that I had packed my framed photographs in a box that was right at the door of the trailer, it wouldn’t be difficult to locate. In the box were several photos I had enlarged, and then framed, images I had taken of the park over the years. I thought they would like to see a photo of their daughters favorite park, her ‘happy place’.
At that moment I asked them “can you give me a minute, I think I have something you will find interesting”. I then walked out to my trailer. I found the box of photos easy enough, grabbing one to take back into the store. It was a nice 11″ x 14″ color photograph in a black wooden frame. It was one of my favorite images, a sandstone formation that can be seen from the entrance of the park.
An Emotional Goodbye
The mother said their daughter had sent them a few pictures of Garden of the Gods, but “we’ve never seen a large photo of the park before”. With tears running down her face, she thanked me for showing them the image. As she started to hand the photo back to me I said “no, you keep it, I want you to be able to see your daughter’s favorite view, the place that made her happy”.
It was the right thing to do.
After we hugged goodbye, all three of us with tears running down our faces, I headed out the door. What a powerful moment that was in my life, and probably for them too. It’s been 20 years since that day and I remember it as if was yesterday.
On Reflection:
The idea of us meeting in such a serendipitous way just seems insane. It just goes to show, you never know when something incredible may happen. That’s why it’s important to follow your instincts and go with the flow.
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