Sitting at the stoplight at Midvale Ave., waiting to turn left onto Kelly Drive, I noticed a car was trying to cross over Midvale from the gas station parking lot to the right turn lane.  I made some space and the grey Honda Civic scooted through.  Only after it passed did I realize that it was Karin, a woman I know from the Unitarian Church (she also happens to be my friend Georgia’s mother).

From there I headed to Whole Foods.  Getting out of my car in the parking lot, I looked to my right and realized that my friend Tim was sitting at one of the picnic benches that are situated along the perimeter of the lot.  I had run into him last week at Trader Joe’s, and so instead of even offering a greeting, I threw up my hands in mock-exasperation and said, “Tim, I’m beginning to think you’re stalking me.”  He was on his cell phone but mouthed the words, “It’s because I love you!”

Heading towards the entrance to Whole Foods, I ran into Julie, who had been a student in the MPH Program at Penn during the time that I worked there.  We stood around for ten minutes catching up, before she needed to get going.  Walking through the door, I bumped into a woman with whom I had been in a book club (I continue to completely blank on her name).

I did my shopping quickly and without spotting anyone else I knew (although a baby did flirt with me behind his dad’s back while I was checking out).  But walking back to my car I ran into another woman I once worked with, two jobs ago.

It made me feel like I was living in a very small town, as opposed to the 6th largest city in the country.  Which, I suppose, is actually a very lovely thing.