This kind of thing only happens in films ...

You know that perfect scene in the film? 

The one where the boy finally declares his love for the girl ...

I actually love Andrew Lincon a little

Or the friend in the cafe gives the protagonist the perfect pep talk ...

The film that makes me grateful
for every decision I've ever been
allowed to make!

And the hero makes the right decision and someone is saved ...

"Oh you're Celtic? ... There's lovely"

All of these are cracking plot devices, don't get me wrong I love a good love declaration/pep talk/happy ending, but they're hardly realistic. Life happens bit by bit and very few of us will ever have our faith realigned in a perfect pep talk, or unburden ourselves in the snow on christmas eve to our dream partner, or ever have the chance to save an entire family and change history.

However, I did indeed have one of these strange only-happens-in-a-film moments recently:

I was sat on a train, on a spur of the moment trip home after a few hellish days, straight off a night shift still in uniform sat quietly with a book and bottle of squash. I had been giving myself a bit of a hard time and thinking about dropping out of the course a bit, mainly because I kind of lost faith in myself and started doubting my own knowledge to the point where I was making mistakes because I was second guessing myself. Anyway, feeling a bit shitty and wandering what the point was I was considering dropping out and was content with sloping off home to work my way through an assignment and then I met this woman, who was sat opposite me and who spotted my uniform, that was unsuccessfully hidden under my cardigan. And she changed everything.

She was a midwife, who had qualified two years ago at my own university, and the hour or so we sat and talked convinced me that I am absolutely on the right path, with a mixture of anecdotes which remind me of the good times, and her own stories of training which reminded me that the second year is a long hard slog that no-one enjoys and only the ones who can persevere through it are meant to get through it.

A strange moment of pure co-incidence, where a total stranger who I just happened to sit opposite helped me out and at just the right time when I was at my lowest eb where I needed to be and which was the right path (or track - geddit!) for me.

I shall finish by saying - trains are awesome, I love trains. I've met cool, lovely, funny and just plain odd people travelling around the place, always talk to people on trains because how many other times in life are you going to spend a few hours sat with a group of total strangers, unable to leave and all in exactly the same position?