Perfect storm of coincidences today.

I'm still shaking my head. I live about 7 miles from work as the crow flies and 11 miles driving. It's about a 15 minute commute. There's a restaurant/bar about 1/2 mile from work where we often go for happy hour on Fridays.

At work, we get a discount on health insurance for "vitality activities" so I've carried a pedometer with me to record walking steps for the last few months.

Today, I forgot both my cell phone and pedometer at home. No biggie.

After having a few beers at happy hour, we all went to our cars and people began driving off. Oddly my key wasn't turning in the ignition and I jiggled it a bit and held the brake down.. turned the wheel... moved the shifter etc... In the couple minutes I was messing around, others in the group had driven away. I messed around jiggling the key a few minutes more and heard a soft 'snap' in the ignition. Removing the key, I saw a missing tooth.

Sht. Everyone had just driven off. And I didn't have my phone and couldn't call anyone for a ride. I can't remember anyone's phone number since they're all on my cellphone.

So I began hoofin it. I figured I could make it home before dark if I took the "as the crow flies" route which is mainly on secondary roads and cuts thru some dirtbike trails between housing plans. I also think "What a time to forget the stupid pedometer. 7 miles is a lot of vitality points... oh well.

I probably had 2 miles behind me and was walking down a dead end secondary blacktop road toward the entrance to a motorcycle trail when a car pulled slowly up beside me. "Scott, wtf are you doing here?" I looked at the driver and it took me a few seconds before I recognized a co-worker from a job 12 yrs in the past. "Good question and a long story.. What are YOU doing here, Bill?" We talked for awhile and he said. "Why don't you get in?"

He'd gotten divorced a few yrs back and moved around some and had just moved to a house on that remote little blacktop road only a month ago. He gave me a ride home & we briefly caught up on each other's lives and very similar almost parallel experiences since leaving that company years ago. We exchanged numbers and I'm buying dinner some time next week.

I drove my old truck back to the bar and tried my spare key in the car's ignition. It fired right up. I've got the ramp and tiedowns in the truck so I'll ride a motorcycle in tomorrow and pick up the truck.

I'm still shaking my head. 'funny how things work out sometimes. i'd probably just be getting home about now if he hadn't driven by.