“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” – Desmond Tutu

Finally, the heat has broken a bit. A little cooler but misty. We needed the rain and the break from such hot weather. This change has also allowed me to walk the dog later in the morning. I usually try to get out before 7:30 to keep her cooler, but I was able to hit the road an hour later today. Two things happen in the rain. One, there are very few people walking, which is so peaceful. Two, the air is so fresh, like mother nature finally gives the earth a much-needed drink.

Work was being done at the local school, and I faced a fence on my usual path. Maybe it’s time to try something new, Jill! Off I went in the opposite direction, pledging that I should try to walk different ways every day. How easily we get stuck in a rut even with something so basic as going for a walk. This new direction took me through a nice subdivision, where I could see a girl in the distance standing on the boulevard. It quickly became apparent that she was suffering and potentially not just in this moment. Trapped within her mind’s stories, not noticing me or the world around her. I volunteer at a homeless shelter and have learned that it is not my skillset to intervene in these situations. I can feel compassion, but at a distance. If she were in harm’s way, I would have called 911, but in this case, I left her to live her moment. Her body and mind were elsewhere, but we were joined in spirit and our need for peace.

The fact that we all originate from and are equal in spirit but appear as different physical forms with uniquely conditioned minds amazes me. The fact that we spend so much time on our differences instead of our similarities amazes me even more. At some point in history, a change happened where we no longer cared about our oneness, instead dedicating our time to differentiating ourselves from each other. Whether it’s nationality, skin color, physical abilities, religion, sex, or any other possible comparison categories, we look to judge instead of just seeing one. I wonder how many wars originate from comparison and how the world would be different if we concentrated on our sameness instead.

In retirement, I will work at looking for similarities instead of differences and hope that this little perspective change will have the butterfly effect, passing from person to person until it flutters around the world.