Do you ever think about the people who you pass on the street? Who they are or what their story is?
Maybe it’s just my constant yearning for connection with others, but oftentimes I find myself walking past and regretting not knowing more.
After so many years of walking down the street and looking at the ground or my phone rather than the person walking past- I’ve challenged myself to instead look up. There have been moments where I will pass someone and our eyes don’t meet- we don’t acknowledge each other’s presence in this world, and it honestly makes me a little sad. Eye contact- an oddly simple gesture, yet sometimes wildly intimidating.
It’s something so small, but extremely powerful. The split second of connection signals to me a mere- I see you, you are here, etc. But there are times however, where after a simple look, we pass, and most likely never see one another again. No conversation. No hello. No what’s your name. They’re still a stranger.
Why do we do this?
And yes, I fully acknowledge that if we did that to every single person we saw on the street we would never make it to our destinations; but don’t you ever feel like you wished you said hello to someone? You wanted to know more- maybe even just a few pages of their story, but never stopped to ask?
Traveling has brought me so many stories, people, and experiences. And it never gets old- sitting down with a stranger and hearing about their life. It’s a reminder of just how different we all are. We come from difference places, families, values, yet we are all existing here together. Some stories are relatable and some aren’t- but nevertheless fascinating.
I’m grateful for the paths who have crossed mine. Every encounter started with a question- whether it was a “where are you from?” or “what’s your name?”- it took a deliberate action of reaching out to kickstart the conversation. It’s simple really.
So, if connection starts with the seamless stringing together of a few words… Why, still, do we stay strangers?
