I had a crazy chance encounter today that reminded me what a small world it truly is.

I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in over ten years. She is someone I knew very briefly, but remember fondly, and we had lost touch after living in different cities and taking separate paths.

But here we were today, standing in front of one another, and it could have easily been ten years ago. We hugged tightly, laughed honestly and smiled widely, both surprised and somehow relieved to be seeing the other.

We worked together at my first job out of college. She joked about how I was a troublemaker and we reminisced of the fun we used to have.

As I was telling the story of our reunion, and describing our friendship and how great it was to reunite and pick up right where we had left off,  I laughed that my reputation hasn’t changed much in ten years.

My coworkers now refer to me as the troublemaker. My office is usually the one where you can come for a laugh, and even after only a few months at my job, there are a couple of my coworkers that I would call friends.

And for a very brief second, maybe even a minute, I felt good. I felt good about the friends I’ve made and the presence I bring, and the fact that even though I’m a grieving mama, I am still living happy.

Somehow, though I’ve suffered, and though I grieve, I can still make other people smile. And I can still feel good about the friends I have, the choices I make, and the journey I’m taking.

I may be a very different person than I was ten years ago, but some things never change.