In an earlier blog titled “Moments of Peace” I referred to meeting my new friend Bonnie and the beautiful flower gardens that I walk by every day with our dog. One morning Bonnie told me that the gardens were maintained by a man named Tony as a tribute to his late-daughter-in-law.

So, being me, I just had to meet Tony. Two days ago I walked up to the door and introduced myself and thanked him for making the world a more beautiful place. Tony invited me in and introduced me to his wife Lisa. We started chatting and discovered that we were both retired teachers. Not unusual, but then 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon happened!

We had both gone to Toronto Teacher’s College in 1967-68. He signed on with the Toronto Separate Board and I went North York Public. We knew all the same schools! I mentioned that I had specialized in outdoor and environmental education, working with schools to create native species outdoor classrooms In their schoolyards. Tony told me that when he retired he took horticultural classes at Humber College and that led him to his native species pollinator gardens!

Then he mentioned that he was part of a Bruce Trail hiking group. Whoa! My outdoor ed career began on the Bruce Trail in 1972 when I hiked 30 students out the last week of September on a 50 mile 5 day hike on the Bruce Trail. We did that every year from 1972 to 1980.

What comes next? Well, Tony and I will be hiking the Trail together very soon. Stranger things have happened, but this random act showed me that the universe is unfolding as it should. The way I see it.