I just returned from a trip with my spouse to scenic Upstate NY, where I felt far away from work, politics, and household obligations. In addition to relishing the journey and the destinations, I noticed a perspective often missed in the activities of daily life: the focus on commonalities as a springboard for positive connections.
While our plane sat on the runway for 90 minutes, I bonded with a mom trying to return home with her young kids after several cancelled flights. During outings to beautiful waterfalls, I offered to take pictures for several families—and many others did the same for us. A hiker who was also sporting hiking poles stopped to discuss the complicated trail system. A couple asked for advice on which hikes to take (perhaps our hats and poles suggested we knew more than we did!). An individual approached us to talk about the history of a local landmark we visited at the same time. A woman asked about my UNC t-shirt (from a conference presentation), and we chatted about her adult child who works at UNC. We laughed with fellow travelers when we got drenched at Niagara Falls. We exchanged knowing glances with other hotel guests when kids zipped through the halls. I assisted another fitness center visitor as she tried to navigate the counterintuitive exercise equipment.
Everywhere we went, we met new people, found commonalities with strangers, and experienced utter positivity in our interactions—which led me to consider how we might embed that practice throughout our daily lives. What if we approached each person with a clean slate—simply as another human, with whom we could share a moment, a task, or an experience? What if we left behind our assumptions, our first reactions, and our heel digging? What if we avoided labels and boxes? So as I return from a glorious trip, I challenge each of us to consider every interaction as a welcome possibility, an opportunity to find connection, and the start of a path together.