Visiting A Friend But Making A New One

Like the good old days, one of my friends told me to just drop by at his house randomly to hang out. He’s not great at making plans, hardly gets back to text messages and calls, and told me that if I were to just stop in he’s always down to spend some time together. So last Friday I took him up on it and went over to his place.

I’d been over a few times before but this time looked different. I went to the side unit he lives in and it was completely empty.

Not just that he wasn’t there... But all of the furniture was gone.

When I turned around to leave a man I didn’t recognize was standing there curiously. “Hey are you here to see the unit?” He asked. “No, I’m here to see a friend.” I responded.

To that, this main explained how my friend moved out on short notice and has been gone for a week. He then started asking me questions, asked about my story, and before we knew it we were seated at a picnic table for an hour getting to know each other.

We uncovered some friends we have in common but truly, I got to hear his story. He’s a successful startup founder with a big acquisition, spiritually-grounded with extensive training as a Sufi, and a recent father with a 4 month old son.

What struck me most about this was his presence. As a stranger who he found lost on his doorstep, he took time away from his Friday to just connect. In a busy world where everyone has plans and an agenda, it was a rare encounter just like people used to have all the time.

And that’s the ironic part about. The original intention was to just stop by and visit a friend unannounced like the good old days, and instead I began a new relationship with an incredible person just because we happened to be in the same place at the same time.

Taking a step back, there’s a spiritual lesson in this as well. The things you want in life don’t always take the shape you expected them to. The more we can be unattached to the way we want things to be, the more channels the universe has available to deliver you what you need. I showed up for friendship, and I certainly left with it.