There’s Always Someone Anywhere

This has been on my mind for quite some time now.

I want to change the world.

Wow—how daunting. Change. The whole world. Me? Not possible.

I had the pleasure of getting on a train to Boston at the right time today. A wonderful lady and her husband were looking to buy tickets on the same train I had a ticket on. Long story short, we sat next to each other on the ride and talked a great bit about life. I realized in this conversation that I hadn’t slowed down enough to have a connection to the world for a while now—I had been so busy trying to find a way to connect with my nose in my phone and my mind drifting aimlessly through a search engine.

“How to connect with the world”—a recent Google search by me. I read about it, grow frustrated and overwhelmed at the millions of results with no real answers to the question. So, I quit for a time and spend some time huddled in my bed with my dog too afraid to go out into the world because I still don’t quite know how to make a difference. In an effort to get out again, I took the 9:40 train to Boston to sit at a coffee shop and write. That’s when it happened.

As I sit on this train next to my new friend, I dare to make eye contact. I dare to speak on what is really going on in my life. I dare to ask her what kind of things are going on in hers. I dare to put my phone down when my fingers are itching to return to my friend, Google, in awkward silences. And it turns out; the silence is comforting. The pauses in conversation are for breaths and for reflecting on the stories she just told me.

Wait… Did I just connect?

On this 35-minute train ride, my world slowed down enough for me take a breath and enjoy getting from Point A to Point B. She gave me an opportunity to laugh when I needed it. My world is busy and difficult at times, but she changed that for the short time we were together. She changed my world—if only for a half an hour. But no, that’s not it. I will spend the rest of my day smiling at strangers with a light heart, because in them I will see her. I will be a little less afraid to connect and a lot less inclined to spend the journeys I take with my nose tucked away and my headphones in my ears. I will be looking for 30-minute conversations, smiles in crowds, wiggle-butt puppies, a hand reaching out for help, and eyes to make contact with. Thank you to the sweet lady on the train for showing me that I don’t need to search for a world out there to change it, because there is always someone anywhere whose world could use a little changing.

Ruby ready to make a connection on the train.