It really wasn't anything extraordinary. I was leaving an early yoga class on a Friday morning. I go to a led full Ashtanga primary every Friday before the sun is up and grab coffee afterwards which tends to leave me feeling extremely balanced and a bit euphoric as I continue about my morning. So, I partially blame the yoga and the coffee for this experience.
This particular morning I was driving onto the interstate to journey down to Pittsburgh. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. I make this trip VERY often. If anything it feels a bit nostalgic. In Uganda, I would drive an hour and a half to the village and back every week so an hour and ten minutes on a highway feels pretty cakey and relaxing. I often find myself listening to music for a whole five minutes before switching to a podcast. Something to stimulate my brain. And ironically enough, the podcast I chose that morning was all about connection.
It was cold, really cold. The Earth was frozen by layers of ice and snow and I could feel it in my bones. But with the words of Rich Roll and Johann Hari filling the background and caffeine flowing through my body, I saw the sun begin to rise and work its magic. Minute by minute I watched as it bathed the Earth in gold light. The world slowly began to soften, to wake. I began to soften. It was almost as if I could see the ground take a big belly breath in and out. This is it, I thought to myself. This is connection.
It is the sun warming the cold layers of the earth in the dead of winter. Peeling away the gray, infusing it with bands of gold. It is the most extraordinary, ordinary moment to watch unfold. Just like most moments of true connection. The first sip of coffee in the morning. Holding someone's hand when you're scared. Taking a deep breath. Having a deep belly laugh. There is nothing extraordinary about these moments. Except when you're in them, when you witness that brief glimpse into another world, when you lose your breath, you're able to remember how much they shape our human experience.
Connection is a basic human need. Like food, water, and shelter. So why do we run from it? Why is it so hard for us to find when it is the essence behind everything we do? It is beautiful and scary and a bit mysterious and completely underrated. Behind the trendy facade of indifference is a deep, aching desire to connect.
I dare you to watch a sun rise. Feel the warmth. Let it burn.
I see you. I hear you.
