When Fate Finds You

As luck (or fate) would have it, Owyn got to see his "new friend, Sean" one more time over the weekend. Sean happened to be playing at the playground on Sunday evening as we were walking to the car and he was waiting for his Dad to finish the Ironman. Owyn got to play with Sean again for about 20 minutes. And then AGAIN had to say good-bye to a "friend" he would likely never see again.

As we walked to the car, Owyn and I had this conversation:

Owyn: Mom, will I ever see Sean again?
Me: I'm not sure, but probably not.
Owyn: Why not?
Me: Because he lives in Michigan and we live in Iowa.
Owyn: But I like him. He's a good friend.
Me: Maybe someday, if it's meant to be, you will bump into him again somewhere.
Owyn: How?
Me: Maybe someday you'll go to an Iowa-Michigan Football game and see him and say "Hey, I met you when I was five and our Dads were doing an Ironman in Idaho".
Owyn: I hope so.

I was reminded of a couple of things about my son on this trip. One, he can adapt to nearly anything, and find or make fun in any situation. Two, he can be so outgoing and strike up a conversation with anyone, adult or child, at any time. I love that about him. And it fills me with some comfort that he is not likely to be the kid standing alone on the playground when Kindergarten starts in the fall. Or the teenager eating lunch alone in the cafeteria. Or the college kid sitting alone in the library on a Saturday night. Somehow, I think he will get along just fine.

And maybe someday, if it's meant to be, he'll find his long lost friend Sean, and they can recall a playground meeting, a snowball fight on top of Silver Mountain, and a late night game of tag on a park playground in Idaho. And maybe they'll exchange phone numbers next time. Or at least a last name.