Usually the first thing I do when I get on the train is put my headphones in and open up my book. Today, I stopped to take a moment to glimpse at my surroundings. Observing the person sitting across from me, the person across the aisle, eventually making my way to all of the people in my line of sight that were in the same section of the train. I began to deepen my thoughts, questioning what they did before arriving on the train, where they were going, what their career was or what their life was like. I admit, I was most definitely overthinking. However, this steered me to notice that I had no awareness of what any of these people’s lives consisted of. Yet, I did realize we all had one thing in common this morning. We all made it onto the train and were on the same commute at 7:30AM from Grand Central Station. From this, we can create a sense of connectedness amongst one another.

I also referred to this concept when I ran the NYRR women’s 10K this past Saturday. Before we took off for the race, I began to think about how I did not know the other women in this race, but we were all running the same race, for the same cause, and for the same experience. I felt that we didn’t have to know each other to feel a certain sense of connectedness amongst one another. During the race, I focused on the idea of women running together, not against one another. As for this race, along with life, instead of seeing each other as competition, I realize that we can see each person as motivation or support. 

These are just two simple examples that infer how often we come across the concept of connectedness with others, and we may not take the time to realize it. We can never tell what one is experiencing, but there is a high chance that someone you come across today is having the same experience as you, or has had the same experience once before. When we look at the world in this perspective, we can feel further support and a sense of comfort. I am currently working towards cultivating the courage to be imperfect and allow myself to be vulnerable. If you’re anything like me, this does not come easily. Although when we notice the concept of connectedness, we can allow ourselves to realize we are not alone, we are not perfect and we are all merely only human. 

As for today & every day, practice compassion and cultivate connectedness with the individuals around you.