The spark of connection
As the skies glistened above, there was a definite shift in energy. The heaviness from winter had finally thawed, with signs of Spring all around.
As I walked through Glasgow, the city I called home, I felt grateful to be part of a community that can seem invisible. That day confirmed it for me, we are all connected, part of the same tribe, walking through this earth just trying to get through the day. As best we can.
It was as I walked through a laneway in the west end of the city that I caught the eye of an elderly man strolling with the aid of a walking stick. We soon shared a moment together, a verbal ‘Morning’ echoed from us both. From afar it looked like we knew each other but we were in fact strangers. Strangers who felt a little more connected, if only for a minute.
As I crisscrossed through the city centre, avoiding the shoppers, I found myself the saviour of a Chinese lady, trying to buy some bananas. We were both at the self-serve tills when the lady came into my vision. Flapping. Bananas in one hand, credit card in another. As I glanced at her till she caught my eye and made a ‘I need help’ gesture. It became clear she spoke no English.
Between us and with the help of the shop attendant we managed to weigh and pay for the fruit. She looked on relieved as the receipt was printed. A big smile crossed her face. I waved her off as I left the supermarket. My good deed was complete for the day.
As I left the shop, I experienced a banana flashback. When I visited Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, I popped into a shop to buy some bananas. It became impossible. As I stood at the fruit scales, I couldn’t work out how to print the label to pay for them. It became a little comical that I can travel the world but not buy bananas. As I glanced up and looked around, I spotted a local man observe my desperate attempt to weigh the common fruit. I signalled ‘Can you help?’ similar to the Chinese lady in Glasgow. He approach me, grabbed my bananas, and took command of the situation. What a hero.
As I approached the till area he was in the queue in front of me, he glanced down at my only banana purchase and signalled for me to jump ahead of him. I was soon walking out of the supermarket with my bananas, grateful for the moment we shared.
Now fast forward to the modern-day, when I was recently in Edinburgh. As my friend and I left the yoga studio into the fresh air of the city we were stopped by two young French tourists. The girls asked for directions to the Botanic Gardens. As we shared the best route using the map on my phone accompanied with hand gestures I looked them in eye and smiled as I explained “Head in that direction and if you need more help just ask a Scottish person – they are very friendly and will love to help”.
That to me is what being part of a connected community is all about. We may not share the same culture or language, but we do share the same humankindness, where we look to support each other and make journeying in this world a little more enjoyable.
Remember, help is all around you so reach out to your community and feel the spark of connection.