Familiar yet unknown !

I was walking back to my apartment lost in my thoughts when a lady whom I know for close to 10 years stopped me on the road. We do not meet often, occasionally running in to each other, occasions I can count on my finger tips. She lives in the same residential complex as me albeit a different wing. I call her aunty; don’t know what her name is. Aunty is very religious, a devout Christian. I like her because of the positive energy that she exudes.  I was carrying a pile of medical records and she enquired about my health. I told her I am expecting my first child and there she was ecstatic on hearing it. She told me that I was among a few for whom she prayed and she felt happy for me. I was touched. How many do that, not many I am sure that too for someone who bumps in to you once in a while. In today’s world one is out of mind if one is out of sight.

There are faces in the crowd that attract us. When I talk about attraction I am not referring to just physical appeal, it’s a kind of positive energy, a spiritual high or that pleasantness in ones face that draws you. Aunty is one among them, I once met her at a bus stop and instantly I liked her. She is serene when she speaks, there is no relationship between us, neither did we come to each other’s help, but still there is a bond. I automatically feel some warmth towards her.  May be we have a connection from our past lives, which I have come to believe after reading books written by Dr Brian Weiss.

I also know an elderly man whom I admire a lot. In this case we have not even spoken a word. This gentleman is in his late fifties/early sixties, immaculately dressed and a fine human being to the core. Even before I could get a proof of his fine traits, I always respected him. I am not the kind who smiles at strangers but I did whenever we crossed paths. There was such warmth without even knowing each other. Indian men are generally rude and rough to woman outside their immediately circle of family & friends. There was this young man who was a loving husband and father, but when it came to boarding a bus, his animal instincts used to come to the fore. I have seen him pushing women out of his way in an effort to grab a seat, that too for a 15 minute ride.  This was his usual behaviour. One day this elderly fine gentleman who was giving way to women in the queue saw this guy pushing his way ahead. He immediately reprimanded the young guy. The young guy was embarrassed that a man possibly twice his age was giving way but he was pushing for a seat. The day I saw this incident I realized why I had so much respect & warmth for this elderly gentleman. There was a connection even before I got to witness his impeccable manners.

It has happened with me so many times, that I come across people at airports/ on the road, just about anywhere and feel an instant connect. Most of them I never meet again but at that point in time when I see them there is a certain warmth. May be we knew each other at some point in our earlier lives how I wish I could recollect those!