There is nothing more valuable than connection; true, sincere human connection is one of the most precious experiences that life offers each day. It is the seizing of a moment with whomever is with you, whether it is someone who is one of your constants or someone who is one of your once in a lifetimes. There is so much to be learned from one another; the classroom is the world, each person an organism of lessons learned or being learned. Asking meaningful questions that promote explorations of empathy are all it takes. Others' eyes, pasts, sentiments, are simply slumbering beneath each person's surface, and all that is required to draw out these dearer facets is genuine care and true compassion for the other human being in that exact moment and time. The messages I have gained from people in other cities, people while traveling, people living in different parts of my city than me, people working behind a cash register, people who reach out to me or I to them, people who I thought I knew all about and then learned there was so much more to see, people who grew or are growing up in a different generation than me, people who I care for deeply, people who I could not care less for, people who don't know me but tell their stories, people who have written their stories out long ago for us navigators today, the list goes on and on. Sage advice and stories of sincere meaning are simply everywhere, only awaiting for the confirming genuine nod that says "yes, tell me more." We are one great painting of humanity, a canvas that stretches farther than the eye can see and every swath and stroke is as significant as the next, and every touch down of brush to surface is worth understanding.

So often we bypass one another. Does it not occur to us as we sit at stoplights the vast amounts of stories and emotions sitting in isolated cubes right next to us? Or even in these forums of blue and green bubbles we send back and forth to one another, the identity, heart and soul of another, is to be conveyed fully across white plains. Even more so than that, in the conversations we do have in passing there is so often that semi-obligatory question of how the other person is - "Good and you?" What lengths are contained in four small, encircling letters; the successes and strifes of another human being along his or her journey summarized in this single adjective ("well" as an alternate in the game) Maya Angelou reaches this depth with great ease: "Let's tell the truth to the people. When people ask, 'How are you?' have the nerve to answer truthfully sometimes." Obviously pouring out one's heart to another simply because he or she received this common question would bridge upon outlandish and in the case of the humble, arrogant to assume the questioner would care as to hear significant life details when expecting the standard answer; yet, if we were to offer more of ourselves to each other, present more of a look at the portrait of our souls in that one moment in time, there is always far more to be gained - whether on both sides or one, who is to say that an honest answer might speak volumes to someone else or touch them deeply four years later for some reason or other. Granted, the reward of "Walden moments", (interweaving oneself fully in nature and letting the soul mix with natural melody, being isolated with nature purposefully, etc. etc.) strings of Walden moments if you will, is boundless, but ultimately, that reward is something that human beings wish to share with one another; that meaning enlightenment and serenity gained, new ideas born into reality. People wish to, whether they know it or not, share, and ultimately, the human connection is a deep and riveting force that is one of the most fruitful experiences we can have so long as we tune into our own humanity enough so that we in turn may follow the shoreline of our brother's or sister's self. Beyond all of this, true communication with each other in the open skies of what makes us all the same, our humanity and the common journey through life, is the source of solutions to the struggles that plague people. Treasures of peace and deeper understanding lie in every positive interaction of connecting and learning and empathizing with others.