I pulled a folding chair from the garage and took a seat. I’d been busy that morning and decided to take a few minutes to sit and soak up the sunshine.
While far from any similarity to the bench in the photo, I inhaled deeply and took in the sights and sounds of my quiet suburban neighborhood. With a light breeze, a clear blue sky, and only the sounds of birds as companions, I felt connected to a multitude of unseen people not unlike myself.
Regardless of skin color, language, or ethnicity, there is much more that connects us as inhabitants of planet Earth than separates us. In the smallest act of resting from our labor, for example, our seat of choice may be wood, plastic, or metal. For one person a flipped over bucket or a four-legged stool may serve the need. For another, a strong, worn bench, or a lounge filled with soft cushions and luxurious pillows. Then too, the immediate view, the patterns and colors on the horizon may vary.
No matter. On that particular day it felt good to sense I was part of something bigger than me, to have the awareness of shared humanity.
How do you feel connected to others, seen or unseen?
What might those connections be?
How often do you have the sense of being part of something much larger than yourself?
