small sparks that grow into a great glow.
In recent weeks and months, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about community and how we perceive one another.
a short story to begin.
Imagine you’re getting ready in the morning, walking to the bus stop and waiting for the bus. It’s a few minutes late. But you don’t notice, because you’re chatting with the kind elderly man who often takes the bus with you.
You talk about the flowers that have started to bloom. He tells you that his granddaughter recently brought him his favorite chocolate. And you confess that you overslept again today because it’s hard for you to get out of bed, so you only had a coffee for breakfast.
The bus arrives, and you keep talking. You greet the people around you warmly and ask the young man next to you if he’s okay, since he looks a bit down.
Two people become three in conversation, and your stop is getting closer. You thank them for the heartfelt exchange and step off the bus feeling uplifted, with warmth in your chest — you were seen. You noticed.
The feeling of community. The feeling of being seen.
a small spark.
Even as I write this, I feel a warmth in my heart. Because I think most of us have been drawn into conversations by others before. Even if we didn’t always want it in the moment, it usually felt good.
I imagine a small spark lighting up, wanting to jump across. If we allow it, it can illuminate us.
But often, we block it — we don’t have time, we’re initially skeptical, or we don’t notice the person because we always have our digital devices in front of us and headphones in our ears.
Don’t get me wrong. I often have my phone in my hand too, finally replying to messages, checking off a to-do, or working on my laptop so as not to “waste” time.
But when I put my phone or laptop aside, I notice that 95% of people are doing exactly that.
it can be different.
I’m sitting on a bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta with my boyfriend. We’re traveling for a few hours. A woman in her early twenties is sitting next to me and smiles at me kindly. I smile back and look away again. She offers me a snack. I accept gratefully and offer her something of mine in return.
We start talking, and while my Spanish isn’t as fluent as I’d like it to be, she patiently waits as I form my sentences. We talk about our lives, what we’re doing here, and where we’re headed.
I can’t remember her name anymore, but I remember the feeling she gave me.
At first, I wasn’t sure if this was just something among travelers, since we look different, but I keep noticing it again and again.
I’ve been fascinated by it. At first, I thought the people already knew each other.
But over time, I realized they got on the bus as strangers and got off as acquaintances.
People don’t just sit silently next to each other — they start conversations. Connections form, and the feeling of community grows.
Of course, you can’t generalize it completely, but there’s a noticeable pattern.
i see you.
A feeling we all long for — to be seen. At work. In our personal lives. Within ourselves.
Whether it’s a compliment, a small remark, or a bit of small talk — try it out. You’ll notice that you carry the spark out into the world, and it makes you glow too.
my question for you:
When was the last time you truly noticed the people around you?
These are exactly the kinds of moments I want to bring more consciously back into our everyday lives — creating spaces where it’s easier to connect.
With my community hikes, a setting emerges where connection can happen naturally — outdoors, in motion, and without pressure.
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