A Lucky Magical Coincidence

In my early twenties I decided to break free of university life and travel from Sydney, Canada to Sydney, Australia. I went backpacking along the east coast, directing my life trajectory with full autonomy for the first time. I anticipated meeting friends along the way and soaking up each new experience without hesitation. About half way into my travels I was hit a heavy wave of homesickness. I had not felt this feeling before and so was confused and disoriented. As a result this made it challenging to continue calling the shots all on my own. I found myself stuck in the same town, spending day after day in internet cafes talking to anyone from home who was willing to listen to my loneliness. Missing out on what I traveled so far away for, I eventually came upon a lucky coincidence that helped me become unstuck. One day I was leaving the internet cafe and on my way out I opened the door for another young girl entering. It turned out to be a childhood friend also from the Canadian town of Sydney. We grew up together, went to school together, our families knew each other. We were not close at the time, as she was a bit older and were had been out of contact a while. However this did not matter. For me to run into such a familiar face so far from home was exactly what I needed in that moment. It reminded me that I am not as far away as I thought. To her it was probably a fun coincidence and a fun chat. To me it was a crossing of paths that got me unstuck. It allowed me to finish an adventure that under neither the homesickness had a lot of meaning. Sometimes I think maybe I knew she was there, maybe I forgot? I racked my brain and friends and family from home, but no leads on having had this information. Either way the surprise of meeting a childhood friend on another continent at this moment in my life was so unforgettable that I would not want to call it anything other that a lucky magical coincidence.