I heard about my doppelgänger long before I met her. Nicola is my distant cousin from Ireland and her uncanny similarities to me became a repeated theme among cousins in the ‘Canadian line’ who journeyed to the old country.
When my mom and dad first set foot in Ireland, they had all four of us kids in tow. I’m not sure how they managed to save enough to take us all over there for a month, but I’m forever grateful. I was 11 and believe that trip was what set my travel lust in motion.
It also solidified the folklore of the seven brothers who planted a cherry tree in the backyard before dispersing all over the globe in the mid 1800s – some to Australia and South America, some to New York (eventually making their way to Alberta), some as far away as Dublin! For this family of ancestors had lived at a tiny crossroads in a wee village just an easy drive to Dublin, but back then it was a world away.
It was the descendants of the brother who stayed on the farm that my family visited on that trip in 1972. They were warm and welcoming, throwing open their doors and fluffing their pillows so we had a place to stay overnight. (My siblings and cousins and I have laughed since then, at the thought that they were likely secretly thinking ‘here are more damn Canadian cousins’!) It was as memorable a step into the past as one can attain and even included standing in front of that same cherry tree (not sure if that is even possible, but we did stand near a tree of some sort).
We also heard tell of the Dublin line of cousins who had left the farm, which is still a tiny crossroads, to venture to the big city. This was the line of academics and doctors and my doppelgänger, who is an architect. When my Calgary cousin first mentioned her to me after their trip, I felt quite insulted when she showed me a photo of Nicola. No offence, but did I really remind her of this tiny grey-haired lady? ‘It’s more the mannerisms, I think,” she explained.
Then, my niece went over for an extended stay and texted that she was really surprised when I walked into a family barbecue. Yup, Nicola again. So when my sister and I visited Ireland just before covid, we actually met her and the entire set of Dublin cousins. They were all gracious and fun, and there was no mistaking that Nicola and I share a lot of similarities, in looks and build and humour.
There have been a lot of studies on doppelgangers, which indicate that people who appear nearly identical without being related ‘actually are also astonishingly similar in their genetic makeup and often share lifestyle traits.’ Even total strangers are similar in their DNA! As a doppelgänger who has shared a beer with my other half, I can tell you it already feels slightly unnerving to have so many similarities with someone. Those who have an unrelated doppelganger have even more uncanny details to unravel!
Just another of life’s interesting twists and turns, since theory has it that everybody has a doppelgänger. In fact, data shows the average person has seven! Think about that for a moment… Nicola and I will have to stock up on a lot more beer if they start showing up.
Visit Sandy’s website at LifeInRetirement.ca
