Serendipity

I don't usually write about the happenings of my day, but I must admit, this afternoon was just what I needed.

I am a big fan of futbol - Liverpool in particular. I was turned onto Liverpool by one of my best mates, Mark, back in 1994 and have been hooked ever since. They have an extremely loyal fanbase and very cool kits. Anyway, in this part of the world, Futbol is not the most popular sport, so the opportunity to indulge in a match comes highly infrequently, save for the World Cup every 4 years. I also dont have many people that I can watch matches with, since again, no one here cares.

Today Liverpool was playing Chelsea in the UEFA and I desperately wanted to see it. This match started at 2:30 in the afternoon, which happens to be in the heart of my afternoon work schedule, however I was driven to find a way to get away from the office to watch. Running my department, I certainly don't need much of an excuse or permission, but an accomplice just makes it more fun. I have a friend who is also a client and a friend, and he too is a fan of the footie, so I thought perhaps he'd play hooky and accompany me. I emailed him and patiently awaited his reply.... "Brilliant idea", he said, "let's do it!" We chose a pub and a time and met up. By the time he arrived the first half was done, Chelsea was up 1 - nil and I was half way through my second pint. I could give a shit really. It was 3:30 pm on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon and I was out having pints of Guinness with a friend and watching a Liverpool match. Life is good! We spent most of the time just talking about traveling, past experiences, his new baby, etc. Liverpool actually ended up losing and I didn't really care. I try to delicately balance the client-friend relationship, so venues like this, make for a more low key occasion to socialize. I was actually pondering if in fact I had to choose whether I'd rather him as a friend or client, what would I prefer? Tough to say, but that should be another post.

Anyway, 3 pints and an hour post match later, we parted ways and I made my way home. En route, I decided to call my best mate Cricket to see if he'd like to meet for a coffee. I figured my wife wont be home until 7, so why go home now? I gave him a ring on his mobile, and coincidentally, he was already at our favorite coffee shop. I asked him to give me 5 minutes and I'd be there. I made it in 4.5 flat, ordered my massive latte, and made my way back to where he was waiting. We spent the better part of an hour and a half just talking about the usual guy stuff, wives, chicks, jobs, money, booze, etc and then decided to call it a day.

The afternoon cost me something like 15 quid, filled my body with a couple of gallons of liquid and pretty much spoiled my appetite, but I couldn't have asked for a more fulfilling way to spend a Wednesday afternoon. Serendipity at its finest!