In sharing, we meet each other at that place where we are most human and we heal, just a little bit too. It’s the knowing that we are not alone that is the medicine for our souls.

Hi… How are You?

There’s a lot to unpack with this whole, “how are you?” thing. We say it as a greeting and formality a lot of the time. There isn’t actually very much time at all in the time it takes to make a latte to necessarily give a meaningful, vulnerable answer. Sometimes the time you have waiting for your espresso is the only four minutes you have to yourself that day, and you don’t want to spend it unpacking your inner feelings to a  barista. I get it. AND YET.

What if we really meant it when we asked, “How are you?” What if we were able to offer a tiny bit of a real answer when someone asked us? What if we used that interaction as an invitation to open up to each other, even to strangers?

What we get when we open ourselves up to the world is a world that rises to meet us. When we are soft, people soften. When we slow down and make space, people slow down, hunker in, and respond with a story. When we approach a conversation willing to have our minds changed, our worlds expand, our minds expand, our hearts expand. We find out that our neighbors lived in France for two years and the cashier loves the same musician as we do. We find out we’re not the only ones who are struggling to keep their pot plants alive.  We get a new book suggestion. We find out we’re not so alone in our wandering.

That’s the way I want to walk through the world… How about you?