A Cosmic Hiccup

Four years ago in the Spring of '04, I was a Senior @ UWM and the spring semester actually had spring weather. I was outside everyday in between classes hacking it up in the Spaights, usually on the circular platform by the Ernest commemorative plaque. There was a good group of skilled guys, running between 3 - 7 at any moment, and the circles would last for hours that you could go to class, and hop back in once it was finished without missing a beat.
A few of the names I remember, Mike, who did and still works in the economics department, a guy affectionately named Mocs, who always wore moccasins, and Sy ( or Sai, or Psy, or Sigh, or Psi, I never knew the spelling, but remembered the name because of it's originality). Those were good days, some of my most enjoyable, and I have been searching everywhere for a circle like that again, with nothing even close to a far cry.
Today, I saw the back of a head that reminded me of Sy, but I casually brushed it off because I constantly do that with many people. Pick a few physical characteristics that are recognizable, and a name pops into my head of some long past high school/ college friend I hadn't seen in years. But if I ran into that person face to face, I probably would be hard pressed to think of their name in the blink of an eye. It wasn't Sy I saw, and so continued on my way.
A few hours passed, and on my route I turned a hallway and there he was, waiting to pick up his student ID. I think I caught him off guard because he was already refreshed in my memory I didn't miss a beat, and he had some recall to do. Always the nice guy, we talked about how long it's been, that he was (finally) graduating, and how random it was to run into each other. I told him I was married, had a 2 1/2 year old daughter, was working on campus, and had just acquired a puppy. Upon graduation, he was going to ride his bike across the country, and worry about getting a real job later.
I think we were both amazed at how vastly different things had become over the years, and without letting the conversation become awkward, we said our nice to see you's and good lucks, and then we parted.
A cosmic hiccup: An occurrence that leaves one profoundly confused and always questioning how things would have turned out some other way. I wonder how long I will carry this one for?