I recently went on a work trip to Florida. So many times, I feel like we miss out of true connections with people and the world due to technology. So, I made it a point to leave my ipad home and keep my cell phone in my carry on.
What a breath of fresh air! My whole row on the way down conversed almost the entire time! It was awesome. We were all 3 from different places, but had some things in common and the conversation was so enjoyable. One lived on the same inlet as my old boss and they had been in the same industry. I'm starting to believe the 6 degrees of separation theory has The second plane was, well... ummmm....a younger girl who apparently didn't share my same need to connect. She literally sat there with her hood up, headphones in and looked like she could eat me after I said hi. So, I took this time to meditate and have a good mindset going into my meetings. On the trip back, I had a wonderful conversation with a lady from Idaho. We also had many things in common such as our mini farms. The second plane was the red eye and many were asleep including the girl beside me. I did use that time to read a real book.
It was actually really nice to engage with these strangers. It was great to be able to talk with them and learn about them and what was important in their lives. Had I pulled out my ipad or my cellphone and headphones I would have missed out on stories about Manhattan and Wall Street and about how we feed our children. I would've missed out on meeting the veteran who had multiple autoimmune disorders from the chemicals he was exposed to while serving our country. I'm thankful that I didn't give into the temptation to zone out, but instead engaged with other humans in a day where this is becoming less and less. The next time you are in a waiting room, on a plane or having to wait in a public area, try and turn off the technology and pay attention to the others around you. Invite a connection with them. You never know what may happen!
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