The part where I start singing, "It’s a Small World"

Sometimes, things come full circle when you least expect it.

In 1996, I began my first teaching job in a far Chicago suburb. As I was apartment hunting, one of the landlords told me that he had a tenant looking for a roommate–would I be interested? The property was one block from the school where I would teaching, it was a four bedroom, two-bath townhouse, with a 2 car garage–yes, I would be interested!

My roommate was a first year vet, I was a first year teacher. We didn’t have a whole lot in common, but we lived well together. Most importantly, we respected each other’s space and we paid all of our bills on time. (really, when looking for living arrangments with non-family, non-friends, can you ask for much more?) She was a first year vet, I was a first year teacher. As the townhouse started to resemble an animal farm, we parted ways. My email address then became petfree1, and well, with the exception of a beta fish, I’ve been petfree ever since.

We didn’t keep in touch, mostly because it never really occured to either one of us.

Yesterday, a woman came for a tour of the school where I work now. Our director asked how familar she was with our program, and she said that she was once roommates with a teacher, and that she remember being impressed with what she was teaching such young children.

Then she took a tour of the building, and thought that maybe that tall teacher looked familiar.

I happened to go into the hallway during her visit……….and, you guessed it–it’s my roommate from a decade ago!

We both moved here at about the same time, have children about the same age….and now her child may enroll at my school………how freaky is that?

Are you singing It’s a Small World yet????