Strange coincidence

[DeepfriedPizza]

I live in one of the biggest towns in Scotland so it's not a small village type setting.

13 years ago I would attend a slimming class and a man would also be there. I noticed him as he was the only man plus he was very tall with a distinct hair cut.

Let's call him Phil. I saw Phil a few times at the classes but never spoke to him then I stopped going. I wiuld then see him on the odd occasion when I went to pick up DD from school etc. This is explainable because it was the same time each day.

Since then DD doesn't need picked up anymore, I see him all the time. This has been going on for 7-8 years. I don't have a set routine, I run outside at different times of the day, I see him. When I finish work early, I see him. On annual leave, I see him. I maybe see him once a week.

DH has had an operation so I'm doing morning dog walks. I saw him at 5.30 am today. I'd not normally be out at that time.

He's not doing anything weird, just out and about but it's such an odd coincidence thst we're out and about at the same time. He doesn't always see me, I sometimes see the back of his head etc. As I said it's because he's so distinctive that I notice him.
Unless he's one of quadruplets.

Anyone else have strange coincidences?

There was a man I used to see in town whenever I went, and he once sat on a bench next to me. We had a casual conversation.

Then there were 3 more unlikely encounters:

He was the hospital porter pushing my trolley as I went down for an operation.

A short time later, I looked out of my kitchen window, and there he was, a dustman, emptying the bins.

A few months after that I was working in a playgroup, and he came in with tools to measure the room up for something.

Maybe there are other people in your neighbourhood you cross paths with all the time, but are less distinctive?

@Myoldbear your guy sounds like an undercover agent!

Lol, I have a man like this! I call him "The Walking Man" he's always walking about somewhere whenever I leave my house. If I walk into town he's there walking back from town, if I pop out to my local shop he's walking past the area I live in. If I'm in town he's walking through the town centre. I've never spoken to him but I think we almost said hello once but then didn't. I wonder if he thinks "oh there's that woman again". I didn't see him once for about 2 weeks and I was like "where's walking man?" then when I did see him in my head I was going "Hello!!!". Its all very funny, I bet he's never even noticed me!

I have a “walking man” and a “quiet lady” who I used to see frequently about town. I am also not a routine person. So very random times I will be out and about.

come to think of it, haven’t seen him in ages….

They were certainly strange and distinctive situations which I'll never forget!

He did actually have a big thick moustache!
Disguise?!

I used to belong to a Facebook group. I live in South West England. There was a woman who lived in Essex. I left the group as I wasn't enjoying it. The last time I spoke to this woman, she was talking about moving to south west England but nowhere near me

2 years ago, I was in the Netherlands with a group of friends. This woman comes up to me and introduced herself. I had a group of friends and she's now joined that group. We had seen each other around but as I couldn't remember her name, I didn't want to go up to her and (because we didn't really talk) expect her to know who I am

Last year I was doing something in London and got a lift back to my hotel. I was in a different part of London a few weeks ago and this man comes up to me. He introduced himself and said "I'm friends with... It was me who dropped you back to your hotel". He posted a photo of us to show our friend

Most of the ones I see have dogs so I know them by dog.

I'm glad I'm not alone with having a "walking man" Phil

I live in a large town - there is a local artist I know of who has a distinct haircut. (He doesn’t know me). I see him all the time! Not in the same place, sometimes in another nearby town. I have a friend who also knows of him, and we send each other messages when he spot him. “PB buying Whiskers in the Co-op” like a covert operation!

We moved to the country we currently live in 8 years ago. On our DC’s first day at school, I noticed a black Tesla with tinted windows driving behind us. The number plate was Mrs Ng. It stopped at our DC’s school but I didn’t see who got out.

Saw the same car at our children’s swimming school, music school and ballet. When DS moved to high school 6 months later, there was ‘Mrs Ng’ in the Tesla outside the school. A few months later I got a job in the city 10 miles away. Saw Mrs Ng parked outside my office.

I know it is just a coincidence and that s/he probably has DC same age as mine with similar interests, but when I saw the Tesla outside my office in the city, I did start to question it. You are not even allowed to park there.

Is he not just from your local area? And he's the type who's always out and about? He might have a small boring flat and like being outside, he might live in a hostel where they boot you out during the day? Or maybe his family annoy him or send him out on loads of errands? Or he works doing multiple visits in your area?

There are certain people I feel like I see nearly every time I go out. If you're in a big city you still have plenty of locals who barely leave the area.

Have you not ever smiled and said hello?

I presume he’s busy and doing his own thing? Not hanging around or watching you?

When I go to the gym I see the same 3 or 4 people every time.
I go at 6pm - they're there.
I go at 7am - at least one or two will be there
I go at midday - there they are.

Tis' the Matrix.

Or, the frequency illusion:

Selective Attention: Once you think about a person, they become important to your mind. Your brain starts scanning the environment for that person while ignoring the thousands of other people you pass who are not that person.
Confirmation Bias: You tend to remember the one time you thought of someone and saw them, but completely forget the hundreds of times you thought of someone and didn't see them.

I have Black Jacket Man.
funnily enough we haven’t crossed paths much in the last 3 weeks, but ended up waiting for the same train this morning. He actually came over and said ‘I was getting a bit worried about you’ 😁 we ended up having a great chat.

No, he's just out and about like I mentioned in my op.

It's just a funny coincidence