Happenstance...

When I was here in Fuerteventura a year ago, I met an Irishman, Seamus. I know it's cliched but, like many of his countrymen, he had, as they say, the gift of the gab; he could charm the proverbial birdies out of their proverbial trees.

I met him on the beach on my first full day on the island. His face seemed vaguely familiar but I couldn't place it. Anyway, we got talking. "How long have you been here?" I asked. "Arrived yesterday." came the reply, "I was a bit hung over after enjoying myself a bit too much in Dublin the night before." And then it dawned on me, this was the guy whom I'd sat alongside on the bus from the airport into Corralejo the day before. He'd looked miserable as hell and didn't respond when I smiled at him.

As the holiday progressed, we met up several times for drinks. We seemed to get on. One night I was telling him a story of when I'd been here in the November before. In telling the story, I mentioned a Finnish guy whom I'd met and that he had his eight year old daughter with him. Seamus stopped me; it turned out that Seamus remembered the Finnish guy too. He had been on the beach not more than 20 metres away from me that November. Small wonder that his face had been vaguely familiar to me.

Our flights home were within an hour of each other and so we arranged to meet up at the airport. Both flights were delayed and so we had a little extra time to kill. He was more than entertaining with his knack of telling a good yarn well. Eventually, both flights were announced and, before leaving for our respective gates, we swapped numbers and said our goodbyes.

On returning home I found him on Facebook and added him as friend. As you are all, no doubt, aware, Facebook friends are not friends in the conventional sense of the word. They equate more to acquaintances; the occasional conversation, the catchup, the nod and the wave. Indeed, over the last year, Seamus and I have had the occasional conversation and catchup and we've done the Facebook equivalent to nodding and waving at each other from time to time.

Imagine my thrill and disbelief when who should walk into the bar I was in last night but my occasional Facebook friend, Seamus. Happenstance, indeed...

Today's run at 16:36
Distance	4.22 km	Time	24:10
Pace	5:44 min/km	Cadence	81 spm
Comments: Warm & sunny.