Thursday, August 1, 2013

Banking on Memories



For over a decade, I have had a financial relationship with (let’s call her) Natalie. As you are probably aware, having any kind of long term relationship with someone in a bank is a rarity these days. Workers are prone to and often encouraged to switch branch locations, and even cities to jump start their careers. You start to feel some trust and quickly they are gone.

Natalie and I met so far back, I don’t quite remember the circumstance. However, I know that I immediately felt that this was someone who would return my phone calls/emails, and provide me with solid guidance. I knew that I could turn to her when my marriage ended and I needed to move forward in my planning.

Over the years, we learned a little more about each other, about our growing children and our new residences. We had however, never spoken about where we had each grown up. And each time we met I thought, Natalie is someone who knows her stuff, everyone should have a Natalie!

In my most recent appointment to meet Natalie, she mentioned that she had noticed a particular government id number that is specific to a province in Canada. It seems that Natalie had grown up there too. Did you go to John Rennie High School? Then the questions flowed and we were able to discover that Natalie and I lived within blocks of each other as children/teenagers, hung out at the same community swimming pool and knew some people in common. All this in a small sub-division, in a large city some 3500+ kilometers away (depending on whether you take the “scenic” route north above the Lakes or dip south through the US) on the other side of the country. A city that I left 36 years ago.

It turns out that she had actually dated a younger brother of an old dear friend of mine. We were at some same parties and had eaten the same spaghetti and meatballs that our friends’ mother had been famous for!

So how can we dispute that in this Universe of ours that we are all connected?

My discovery in this experience is that when you are feeling a connection with someone, investigate a little further. You will never know otherwise where your paths have crossed previously and what history you might share.

Thank you Natalie for the trip down memory lane, I’ll see you next time at your bank.

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