Parallel lives: when You connects I

One of my closest friends posed an interesting notion to me this afternoon while we were sitting in Kyoto.  She said, “I feel that we’ve lived parallel lives.”

This immediately struck me as a stunning concept with limitless possibilities.  Not only in reference to us but in the conceivable enormity of scale to which we lack connection to other such parallel people.

Within the time that she and I have been friends, we have discovered multiple similarities in our locations at certain places and times as well as many and varied common interests. 

Several years ago, before we were acquainted, we lived on the same floor, in the same building.  Our apartments were just down the hall from each other.  I feel that it would be accurate to assume that we passed by one another in the hallway or rode the elevator together several times.  We’ve read the same books and enjoy a similar taste in movies, literature, and art (painters in particular). 

The connection that finally breached our paths was the multiple painting classes we’ve taken together for our BFA degrees.

I remember seeing a short news segment over the summer that was a small example of this principle.  A married couple had found a picture of themselves crossing paths as children. 

Although they had both lived in different states at the time, their families had gone to Disney on the same day, where they literally passed one another.  In the background of a picture of the wife and her siblings, the husband was asleep in a stroller that was being pushed by his father. 

This is not an example of a parallel life, but rather physical evidence of parallel moments.  I am employing it simply to demonstrate that these things do happen.  We simply miss them because these people are unknown to us at the time.

Think of all the potential people that could be living your parallel.  They may even cross your path on a daily basis or at repeated intervals without either of you noticing.  Maybe there’s a bookstore you visit regularly, a band you’ve seen numerous times, or just the local farmer’s market you frequent every Sunday, etc. 

There are any numerous prospects for little things that could connect or link your path with a parallel.  It is very likely that there is one individual out there who has crossed your path on occasion and shares various qualities with you.

This theory throws a little twist on the concept of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. 

You are both walking the same mile but you have your own shoes, and it’s just slightly a different time of the day.