I’ve had the good fortune to connect with many people this past week, and I am a better person for it. Every single encounter, regardless of how short or long has had an impact on my life because the energy we carry within us has been shared…
One of the great gifts of aging is the ability to look back and acknowledge all the people who have had an impact on my life. I can see how even the difficult encounters have, in fact, been a blessing and helped me to become the person I am today. I don’t even necessarily need to be in direct contact for a change to be made. My youngest son is experiencing this in his own development. He’s a performer and loves to sing, and his main inspiration is someone who died over 20 years ago…Freddie Mercury. In the years to come he’s going to look back and realise how this person, who was simply out there doing his own thing long before my boy was born, had an impact on his life and inspired him to reach heights he hadn’t considered before. It’s a wonderful example of how one person, simply walking this earth, can touch another person without any deliberate effort whatsoever. Liam’s life is forever changed because of someone he will never actually meet in this lifetime.
This is a truth that is shared in all of us, we just don’t often see it magnified in the way a boy admires a rock star. However, every single one of us send our ripples into the world simply because we’re breathing, walking and talking. There is no disassociation from myself and others, it’s physically impossible because we’re made of the same energy and we share resources to keep our bodies functioning. Understanding this is exciting because it means I can be more deliberate in my actions. If I am connected to all living beings then I want that connection to be a positive one – the energy I give out is, in fact, the energy I am likely to receive back. Some people might call this karma – but I think that term is far too unforgiving. I think it’s just a reality of being connected to each other.
Knowing this, I’ve been enjoying exercising my connections. I’ve spent quite a lot of time in coffee shops these past few months, and I’ve had a lot of Chai Lattes! Nowadays, when I have a cuppa that I love I make the time to seek out the barista to say thanks and let them know how their efforts made an impact in my day. Might sound corny, but it’s such a simple act to do and I feel fulfilled when I make the effort to do it. Sometimes it’s so easy to make a positive connection – to give back rather than wait to be given to.
Other times it’s not so simple. Sometimes I feel as if the words I share and the actions I take are not enough. I begin to over think conversations and replay them in my head, processing the experience. I might worry I said the wrong thing, didn’t say enough, wasn’t clear with my message, or was misinterpreted. I can spend way too much time replaying a past experience instead of letting it go to enjoy the moment. I’ve realised though that this is a futile exercise because that moment has passed, and in fact, a single touch, a connection with another in any way shape or form, is always, always, enough and exactly as it was meant to be at that given moment.