Connection Warrior
by Yvette Trujillo, RScP
I was touched and inspired this week to watch a small community come together in a little coffee shop up in northern NM. There was nothing prescribed or organized about this gathering… folks simply coming together to grab their morning coffee. It appeared that these people came from all walks of life; some wore business attire, moms with their little ones in tow, a gentleman with his dog who it seemed may have come across some hard times. All were connecting. It was electric and joyful…. And they lingered! As I watched like a fly on the wall, I realized there was no one on a computer or staring at their phone. Imagine a coffee shop where every single person was in one way or another engaged in person instead of sitting at a little table in front of their computer or standing anonymously in line staring at their phone afraid to look up and make eye contact with a stranger… forced to exchange a polite smile and niceties. Of course, you’ll find a few scattered gatherings in pretty much any coffee shop, but this was different- it was a community coming together to say good morning… I see you…. You are important to me. I had to go back the next morning… in fact, I insisted on it. I wanted to see it again… feel it again. This time the bustle was even more intense! There were friends, family, strangers being introduced. Those like me who were alone seemed joyful just to be in the presence of such pure connection. Outside of my own family gatherings, or the church social hall, I hadn’t seen anything like that before… or at least it’s been so long I can’t remember. What is clear to me is that this kind of connection is healing, and I believe it can transform strangers into friends and begin to melt away the epidemic of fear and isolation we seem to be experiencing. So, I invite you this week, to look up, engage a stranger in conversation, give a warm and generous smile and be open to receive it when it is given to you.
Transformation happens as tiny moments are strung together. It may take a little practice and courage for some of us but imagine if we stopped asking “are you on my team?” before allowing a true connection to take place. Imagine if we simply allowed joyful and meaningful connection because it’s morning and we’re both in line to grab our coffee. Don’t let a few cold responses stop you – I dare you to be a connection warrior! moving through this world with this intention in your heart – I see you – I hear you and you are important to me!
I wish you all a blessed and connected day <3
And so it is!