It’s me again, back with another story of strange coincidence. I met up with two people from my long-ago past recently. Both meetings involved Kijiji and a man named Bob, and both were a bit unbelievable and exciting in their own ways.

The first happened a few weeks ago when I was looking for a new microphone and found exactly what I needed on Kijiji (as I often do). The seller’s name was Bob. Bob happened to live close to my house, so I hopped on my motorcycle on a lovely sunny afternoon and headed over. When I arrived at the address I parked my bike, walked up his driveway, knocked, and waited for Bob to answer the door. He answered. Bob came out of the house with the microphone, and he said, “Hi, I’m Bob Layton.”

Now, if you’re not from Edmonton, maybe this doesn’t hit you the same as it hit me. This particular Bob has had an illustrious local radio career. In the 70s and 80s he was the voice of 630 CHED. He had a tremendous influence on me when I was young and I listened all the time. He was actually news director of the Corus group of radio stations in Edmonton, and his editorials were featured on Global News.

Bob was given a lifetime achievement award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association of Canada in 2010 and also won another award for his editorials in 2011. He is a big deal. He always ended his segments with his signature way of saying “I’m Bob Layton.” To hear him say those words to me, in person, and on his own front step, was wild!

I laughed, and could not believe I was buying Bob Layton’s microphone. I’d seen his name on Kijiji, just “Bob”, and never thought it would lead to an experience like this. But you never know when it’s going to be someone you know. You know?

Not long after, I was on another Kijiji quest. My daughter needed a car, and I had found one we were interested in Spruce Grove, a city 20 minutes West of Edmonton. The seller’s name was Bob. Which I want to say is a crazy coincidence, but it’s not. There are lots of Bobs in the world. 

I set off on my motorcycle for his house with no expectations. Just like I did for my previous experience with a seller named Bob. When I pulled up in front and there was a woman puttering in the garage. I took off my helmet and she looked at me and said, “Do I know you? Hey, are you Matt Day?”

I confessed nervously that I was in fact Matt Day. It turned out that I went to church with her and her family 28 years ago, and her husband Bob was the seller of the car I was about to look at. Bob came out and we all visited and reminisced about the old days. I bought the car. But the fun part was definitely the unexpected reconnection with this man named Bob and his wife.

There was something lovely about the fact that both of these men were listed as simply “Bob” in their ads. This common, nondescript name gave me no hint of the individual themselves. There was no way for me to tell from that information that I would meet one of the local radio legends of my youth or reconnect with an old friend from another lifetime. In both cases “Bob” turned out to be so much more than just “Bob”. My assumption that I would have a quick and easy and mostly anonymous Kijiji deal with a stranger was wrong. 

I’m not exactly sure what the lesson is here (like all good lessons). I would like to say the easy thing, that it is a reminder to be kind to everyone you meet online because you never know their story or where your interaction will go. But quite frankly, I don’t really struggle with this. I’m generally a kind person and I had no need or desire to be unkind as the buyer in a Kijiji deal. 

I think my Bob experience is actually a good reminder to never make assumptions or get bored or complacent. The world is a fascinating place with so many connections and surprises just around the corner. If we live like we expect exciting things to happen we will have more joy and the world will seem more vibrant. You just never know when you will have your own “Bob” moment and how it can change your day and uplift your spirits. So keep your eyes open and your head up, and expect life to surprise you. It’s just so much better that way.