"Two souls do not meet by accident"

Two souls, so beautiful and intricate, cross paths seemingly by pure chance. 

But is it really a coincidence that brought them together? No, it can't be. 

There is meaning behind every soul you meet, a purpose, whether for you or them. 

A fleeting conversation with a stranger or a life long friendship, each with its own value. 

A knowing look, laughter shared, an awkward moment, and smiles exchanged. 

Unexpected encounters and anticipated ones. 

Our lives build up to each of those moments, they are meant to be, meant to happen at that moment of time, at that moment of our lives. 

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I often wonder, why did I have to go through that? A painful experience, a person that hurt me. 

If only I could have avoided them, saved myself from the hurt. 

No, they were necessary lessons for me to learn from. 

Lessons that build me up and form me as a person. 

Making me whole, wholly what I am meant to become. 

They prepared me to meet you, to realize your value. 

To realize how happy you make me, how I so appreciate you. 

Your friendship and companionship healed a part of me, a piece that longed for healing. 

For that I am grateful for every experience that prepared me for our meeting. 

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Reflection:

Two souls do not meet by accident, I know they don’t. Each moment in my life has built up to this one. Me writing this is the result of moments built up across 20 years of my life. Every encounter is meant to happen. A cashier in a supermarket, a child bumping into me, and a person asking for directions, all of them are encounters I was meant to have at the perfect crossroads. I could have gone to a different cashier line, taken one step to the side to avoid the child, and gone on a completely different route to not come across that person. Yet, that was not meant to happen, I was meant to have all these encounters, all for a reason either for me, or them, or even the both of us. 

This concept is not restricted to strangers only, of course. The people you meet and grow close to are a part of this. They are especially a part of this. It is them you learn the deeper and harsher lessons from. Meeting them is no coincidence, rather they are meant to become a part of your story, supporting its development. Whether or not they are meant to stay in your life, each person has their own valuable contribution, negative or positive—though, is it really a negative contribution if you grow thanks to it? You also have your contributions in other stories, leaving your mark. I sometimes wonder, what kind of mark did I leave on other people’s lives? 

All of us being in GU-Q and meeting each other is the built up result of years of our lives and it will be part of the build up that shapes our futures. We were all meant to meet each other, coming from vastly different backgrounds we come together here, souls learning and growing.

-Maryam