Hi.
The easy part is always saying hello. It's that awkward silence that often follows afterwards that makes so many people afraid to take that first step. Using your voice, finding your voice, making the first move. Well, this is me, making that first move.
We live in a world where we interact so minimally. People don't know who their neighbors are. We're afraid to offer or accept help - because you don't know who or what that other person is. We live in our own little bubbles and we don't step outside of them, because we are afraid of the consequences if we do. I'm starting to see that maybe the consequence we need to be afraid of is not stepping outside of the bubbles we live inside.
I spent five minutes with a stranger today. I helped her figure out how to unhook a baby seat from her car, so she could fit a box in the back seat - something for the new baby she was obviously expecting. When I first offered my help, she looked confused and distraught. By the time we were done, she was smiling and cheery. And somehow, I felt good as well. It was five minutes of my life. With a stranger and her little boy in the other seat. When I got the box situated in next to him - he looked up at me and said "pewrfect". And yes, it was. I stepped out of my bubble for five minutes today. I didn't bring about world peace. I didn't end hunger. But what I did in the eyes of a little boy - was perfect. And perhaps that is all that matters.
So join me in this. Next time you see someone on your street, stop and introduce yourself. Next time you see someone struggling with something, offer up five minutes to help. You'll feel better for it.
