'85 4kq tranny question

[Colin Weir]

I was out doing some errands this afternoon and had a very odd
experience with my transmission. I drove the car for about half a
mile. Everything seemed normal with the car. I parked for about 5
minutes to go into the post office and came back out to the car. Car
starts normally. I had left the car in gear while I was parked and so
I did not shift into first. As I engage the gears, the engine sounds
a little funny. Then I shift into second gear. There was no noise or
anything to indicate that the shift had done something. BUT the
shifter, which normally is a little stiff, is suddenly incredibly
loose. There was almost no resistance to it at all as I moved it into
gear. The car made the slightly odd engine noise again in second, and
so I stopped the car, shifted to first and started to move again.
This time, no engine noise. The car drives exactly as it did before.
Theres no "problem" with the transmission. Just that it is MUCH
looser, and unprovoked. I drove the car around for a bit more, with
no signs of trouble, just the change. I'd love to hear if anyone else
has had this experience and if so, is it indicative of some sort of
trouble with the car. Any BTDTs? TIA

Colin