A Walk in the Park

When I get to walk around a park and see so many examples of personal touches happening all around me in their simple but profound ways, it gets me excited to make sure that the interactions I make with my fellow humans lead to strengthening and encouraging moments. How precious human connection can be when we’re in a headspace to see its full value.

There’s something rather remarkable about mingling with stranger who we know are living their lives the best they can. I really enjoy people watching. Of course not in a creepy sort of way, but rather it gives me the chance to get curious and feel a sense of awe at the variety of worlds the people around me are currently inhabiting.

This afternoon I was walking in a nearby park enjoying some Fall sunshine, and several families and individuals seemed to have the same idea. There were older couples, individuals walking their dogs, families with young kids hovering around their parents with the energy of hummingbirds, and larger family groups that seemed to include multiple generations and extended family too.

There was one particularly large family group dressed in beautiful bright colored cultural clothing. I didn’t recognize the culture the clothing represented right off the bat but that made me curious too. I decided it might be a wedding ceremony. And that got me thinking of what an amazing thing it is that I was there to witness an event that would be forever imprinted on all of those family members’ lives forever. They wouldn’t remember seeing me there, but I doubt I’ll forget feeling that sense of wonder that truly incredible things are happening all around me that I generally overlook because I’m so caught up in my own life.

I don’t think that human existence has always been this insular, which is ironic because we’ve never been so connected as a species due to the technological breakthroughs that have made digital communications an instantaneous, global phenomenon that we take for granted these days. But despite our ease of communicating with anybody worldwide instantly, I’ve had to admit how little significant person to person interaction I really have on an average day.

When I get to walk around a park and see so many examples of personal touches happening all around me in their simple but profound ways, it gets me excited to make sure that the interactions I make with my fellow humans lead to strengthening and encouraging moments. How precious human connection can be when we’re in a headspace to see its full value.