If you live anywhere near the Baton Rouge area or go to the lovely University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where I attend school, you have probably seen this little gem floating around on your news feeds:

http://www.wafb.com/story/35205623/young-musician-...

Well, that’s me. I’m the girl with the fiddle.

If you’re not a fan of reading news articles, I’ll sum it up quickly for you. I was stuck in traffic for six hours on the interstate. Strangers were all sitting on the side of the road, trying to save their gas. I had a fiddle in the back of my car and decided that I’d provide some entertainment for myself and for others waiting out the interstate closure. Little did I know that after posting about the situation on my social media accounts, my friends, family, and local acquaintances would begin sharing it as well. In less than 24 hours, I had been interviewed by the news station featured above, was featured in another news article miles away from where I even live and had gotten messages and comments from over 200 strangers about what I had done on Wednesday evening.

It may not seem like a lot to those of you who have a ton of followers, but my relationship with social media isn’t quite like that, which is an entirely different article for a later time. Being reached out to by so many kind people was something that I hadn’t experienced before, and especially not for something as trivial (or so I thought) as playing an instrument to keep myself busy!

Three men that spoke a completely different language than I were still able to communicate their thanks and appreciation for being exposed to a different culture, even if only for a few hours. A mother hugged me afterward, saying that she “had never seen her children be so fascinated by music like this before”.

As I sat with these strangers who were listening to me play Cajun music for hours, all I could think about is how our world is so divided today. Whether it be politically or between genders or races, something is always holding us back from just enjoying each other’s company and loving one another the way that Christ asks us to…people from such a wide spectrum of age and nationality and beliefs all came together for just a few hours to sit in each other’s company and enjoy the bonding power of music.

I’m not saying all of this to receive gratification or, God forbid, another news article. But, I learned a few lessons from this crazy experience. It all just made me realize that whether you’re from a heavily culture-based family like mine, or have no idea where your family comes from, you can always, always have an open heart to others.

Forget about the wall, and the war, and the constant battle for equality, and love one another for just a moment.

For just a moment. Use your strengths, passions, and talents to put a smile on someone else’s face.

God granted you those things to go out into the world and strive to grow in love and compassion, so do just that! Share your love for whatever it may be, whether it’s music, poetry, dogs (obviously), or fitness. Everything that you do daily can have a lasting impact on so many…even when you least expect it.