‘I’ was lost in the crowd till someone saw me, acknowledged me and I felt ‘seen’.
Now I knew someone and they knew me.
Through that smile, the bow of the head, the wave, the hello….. a new conversation opened up.
We connected and became a community.
‘I’ am no longer invisible and neither are ‘You’.
Shall we ‘invest’ in the tradition of building connections?
I met this young lady in a Cafe in Ho Chi Minh city. She is a manager there and makes it her business to try and interact with everyone who walks in. She came to the city for work and hopes to go back to her hometown someday for her roots are there amongst people that make it their business to ensure that she is well and extend a hand when she needs one. When I asked her what is a practice that she feels is important to continue….her answer is captured in the video. She articulated the distance that many of us live in.
Research finds that Social connections help us perform better at work or studies, feel more upbeat and stronger, builds our immunity and lowers blood pressure, reduces incidence of crime ……is integral to wellbeing, growth and safety. Many a reasons to invest in connecting with our neighbors and strangers.
I cherished the basket of homegrown tomatoes that I received from my new neighbor; the thoughtfulness in clearing up the snow from the driveways of all the houses on the street by a stranger who lived in one of them; when I walked a few steps to ring the doorbell with a request for a spice that I had fallen short of and saved myself a trip to the grocery store….. these experiences lighten the heart and brighten the day. Yet in the hustle bustle of life they are becoming less frequent and more novel! For our ancestors it was a way of life. For us it now needs a conscious effort. An effort worth making?
I would love to hear your experiences of a special effort made or received in building a connection. There are such unique and thoughtful acts that happen every moment, every day in every part of the world! Lets share them and inspire each other to make our planet less lonely and more connected.
Why this substack page?
I am collecting people’s perspectives on what are our strengths, what have we been doing right….practices that empower us, our families, communities and this planet that we call home. Often, these are simple acts with power to change the moment, the day or our environment and in doing so shape our today and tomorrows. Some of these are traditions continued for generations and have impacted our lives in such subtle ways that we have taken them for granted and forgotten to acknowledge their importance. Time to positively shine the spotlight on these strengths and support their growth.
If there is a tradition you believe should be continued, created or grown, please deposit it with us in a video, a poem, an anecdote, a recipe or a prose. We are creating a Bank of Traditions.
May your day be bright and kind.
JM
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