Big Small World Moments

Our world, simply put, is just so big. At the same time, though, we all have these little things happen that at the same time, make it seem so, so small.

This past summer Ava was asked what her biggest small world moment was by a random stranger.

Ava grew up in Maine and lived 18 years of her life there. As I grew up in New Jersey, also living 18 years of my life there. We both ended up coming to the same college, and ending up joining the same sorority, and becoming instant friends. Fast forward to our second year here at school together, just the other day she told me the following story: right before leaving home for school she was scrolling through our colleges class of '22 facebook page when she came across a "really cool" girls post who reminded her of one of her best friends. Naturally, she sent a screenshot of that post to her friend. Turns out, that girl from the post was... me.

This got me thinking.... what are the rest of MY big small world moments?

For starters, I met two of my absolute soulmates, Evan and Brielle, across the world 7,000 miles from home on a service trip in Africa. What's so small world about that? Brielle was also from New Jersey, only 2 hours away from me, and Evan was from San Diego, a place, at the time being, that was my favorite in the whole wide world and that I was absolutely dying to move my life to. If it weren't for the three of us, individually deciding to go on a 2 week service trip, on the same dates, to the same exact location, through the same program, I to this day would most likely not even be aware of their existence, yet, right now and since the day I met both of them, they have been two of the brightest lights in my entire life.

Four of my new-found, really good friends here at school, in the same apartment complex as me, are all from New Jersey; one being less than 20 minutes away. Yet, if it weren't for being at this school, being in the same exact place at the same time, I would have never known.

And the more I think about it, the more little instances start to come to mind. Probably more than I can even remember. And that's what is so crazy about this whole thing, some people, probably lots, are unaware of this big idea, like I was, and could potentially go their entire lives without picking up on their own big small world moments.

Ava responded to the stranger her own big small world moment. But, to whomever this stranger is, I sure do owe them a lot. If it weren't for that very person asking her that question, then for her explaining it to me and giving the perfect example, us, I would have never seen all of the above things in this light. I would have never up until that point in my life been asked or asked myself what my biggest small world moment was. What a wild, wild thought. Maybe that concept in itself could even be a small world moment. I have not stoped thinking about this idea since the second Ava said "...and that photo was of you." and I probably will not stop.. ever.

And what a comforting feeling that is, being one human among a world of 7 billion, but having all of these little things go on, all around us, all of the time. Almost makes it seem as though everything happens for a reason.

So I leave with this..

What are YOUR big small world moments, and do you believe everything happens for a reason now?