Meeting my doppelgänger

I’m a casual viewer of “How I Met Your Mother,” the ensemble CBS sitcom that concluded in March after nine seasons (Don’t you dare tell me about “the mother:” I’m a season behind thanks to our World Trip). A running joke on the show concerns how each character has a doppelgänger (Married couple Marshall and Lily agree to postpone child rearing until they spot all five doppelgängers, a ridiculous sort of “the universe says it’s time to procreate” kind of logic). Well, I may have met my doppelgänger today. Her name is Kira. Unlike HIMYM’s protagonists, we’re not long-lost twins, but our lifestyles feature more than a few similarities.

Here’s how it went down: I was walking the trail to Deer Hollow Farm in Cupertino when I stopped to photograph a group of quail near the path. A hiker behind me paused so I could snap the shutter. As she continued along the path, I noticed her impressively long telephoto lens (immediate lens envy) – and the fact that she looked awfully familiar.

“I’m sorry, but you look awfully familiar.” I asked. “Do you work around here or something?”

Turns out, I had met Kira a few months before. She happens to volunteer at the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA during the same shift, but she had been absent for a few weeks, so we never had the chance to interact. So I asked if I could join her on her hike. We began chatting and realized we have a great deal in common including: 

-We’re between jobs and volunteer during the same shift at the same animal rescue organization

• Our partners share the same first name
• Our partners work as engineers at the same Silicon Valley company 
• We’re photography hobbyists, animal lovers and hiking enthusiasts
• We share our homes with feline companions
• I think we’re about the same age and look somewhat similar

There are a number of other odd coincidences, but I’m not going to share everything for the sake of her privacy and my own. I will say, however, that it was great to make a new friend. And whether she’s my doppelgänger or I’m hers, I hope to see her again soon.