I’m currently sitting in a crowded coffee shop in San Francisco.
To my left, there’s a young woman, likely in her early 20’s, that’s engaging in conversation with 3 other young woman whose also likely in their early 20’s.
Prior to me sitting here, the first woman was sitting one table away from the other 3, and when I asked if I could take the table in the middle, the woman said she’d move over so I could take the table that she’s currently sitting at instead — a clear indicator that the group wanted to continue their conversation.
This group of 4 beside me has then proceeded to continue their extremely lively conversation despite it being their first encounter.
What was the catalyst for this?
I’m almost certain it was the first woman’s surprising ability to speak Korean.
You wouldn’t be able to guess it off the bat, but the first women who’s dark in color has been speaking extremely fluent Korean with the other 3 (all Koreans) for the last hour and it doesn’t look like they’re about to stop any time soon.
It’s nice to see this unfold.
It’s obvious how much this group of 4 is enjoying this serendipitous and more “unlikely” event, and it’s another clear reminder to myself that these random chance encounters could not occur if both parties had not decided to go to this specific coffee shop at a similar time frame.
If you’re like me and are wondering how you can increase similar encounters for yourself, this is the key.
In order to increase your probability for random chance encounters, you need to be in spaces that allow you to engage with the world.
The last time I came to this coffee shop, I ran into an acquaintance that I met a few months earlier. Similarly, when I was out on a run that same day, I bumped into another acquaintance that I met 7 years ago from a summer camp.
These 2 occurrences were unlikely in various degrees, however these events become more probable the more you put yourself in places that you haven’t been before.
These ranges of chance encounters that can occur will soon become endless as a result—from a casual bumping into an old friend to meeting your potential life partner, future cofounder, or etc, these encounters will increase once you subject yourself to more potential interactions with the world.
