Chance Encounters

Paris is a big city, with about 2 million in the city limits and 11 million in the metro area.  I'm always surprised, then, when I run into people I know on the street.  But perhaps I shouldn't be---Paris may be big, but it's a city of neighborhoods.  

There is an elderly woman with an elderly dog that we often see in the Jardin du Luxembourg.  She is lovely and kind and always offers Sandy a treat (which he is happy to accept).  I don't think she speaks much English, and my French is limited, of course, but the language of dogs and walks and treats seems to be enough for us.  I saw her yesterday on her way home from the market (without her dog) and said hello.  She seemed surprised and apologized that she did not have a treat for Sandy, so perhaps I am not the only one who is taken aback by these chance encounters.

I have run into no fewer than three economists I know in the Jardin over the past few weeks, one walking her dog, one running laps around the perimeter, and one in animated conversation with a friend.  I ran into another economist at the opera last month and one on the RER before that.  I encounter the gardienne of our building and the listing agent for our apartment out and about running errands regularly.  Of course the frequency of these encounters is increased dramatically by the fact that we are all out walking instead of driving.  How sad that our American car-obsessed society loses out on so many of these serendipitous meetings.    

All of these chance encounters make me feel a certain joy and comfort:  if I can run into people I know in my little corner of Paris, perhaps that means that I belong here in some sense.  

But something funny happened over the weekend to jolt me out of my sense of comfort.  We have enjoyed having friends Amy and Sarah visit from Boston for the past few days, taking them to some favorite restaurants, pâtisseries, museums, markets, parks.  Twice, as the four of us were out sauntering along some of our favorite walking routes, we were stopped by others who were surprised by a chance encounter.  In both cases, they were people who knew Amy and Sarah!  

Still, I will continue to seek out these small but lovely connections, looking around for a familiar face and an opportunity to exchange a greeting as I'm out and about.