Recently, when travelling back from Southampton, I was being particularly choosy when finding the perfect seat. Yes, I had one already booked, but for some reason it wasn't just right for me, so I went off in search of something more comfortable.
And there it was, an empty table surrounded by four uninhabited pews - perfect! Unfortunately, this perfect state didn't last too long, as soon after I sat, so did a large gentleman with rather long legs, directly opposite me! So was I to spend the rest of my journey knocking knees with this stranger? I decided to move across to the adjacent seat to give ourselves some more room, although I was informed by the long-legged gentleman that I was technically now sitting in his pre-booked seat. So that made two of us who were being choosy!
A short while later, when the passenger numbers had started to build, I decided to do the honourable thing and move my bag and coat, that was guarding my personal space, off the seat next to me.
As the train pulled into the next station, weary travellers began to pour into the carriage looking for reclining respite. I was sure no one would be foolish enough to venture close to our table, as the large gentleman and his legs were doing a fine job of guarding his own personal space, and that of everything around it. But no, it wasn't to be, as an even larger gentleman, with even longer legs chose to squash next to me and play knocky-knees with the man opposite.
'Why didn't I just stay where I was meant to be?', I asked myself. But then something caught my eye and I nudged the newcomer in his ribs and asked, 'what's happened to your arm?' I'm sure he won't mind me saying, but it looked as if it belonged on the set of a horror movie. Turned out that a year ago he almost died from a rare infection that has since removed most of the flesh from his arm, and he was just travelling back home after receiving laser treatment at the specialist hospital.
After looking through a few too many of his gory photographs, I asked whether he'd like some Reiki to help complement the medical treatment he was receiving, to which he agreed. On asking, it turned out that he too lived in Bristol, in fact in the same out-of-town village where I also lived, in fact just one mile away from my house!
So after a hundred miles of travelling, this chap, who had no sensible right to sit in the most congested part of the carriage, was a close neighbour who needed Reiki. 'The universe is at play' he remarked, to which I remained silent, as this has become routine since learning about the ancient mysteries. I find that Reiki has often guided me to others when I'm in need of assistance, and others to find me, so that I can offer help to them.
Lucky I didn't choose to sit in seat B25!