This past weekend, I witnessed something small and sweet. It would’ve been easy to miss. It happened so naturally, and I’m glad I caught it.
We were at our friend Eliot’s album release party at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, an amazing local listening room where you go to listen to great music. The talking can wait. I learned that fast!
Right in front of us sat a mom and her two sons. The server dropped off a carafe of water and some cups. The younger boy filled his cup, then his big brother filled his. By the time he was done, the carafe was empty, and their mom hadn’t gotten any. Mind you, they were eating salty fries and were probably parched.
As soon as the older boy realized there was none left for his mom, he poured half of his water into her cup. Within a minute, the woman at the table next to us, who must’ve seen what happened too, got up and set her own carafe on their table.
I sat there mesmerized, first by the boy and then by our table neighbor. And I thought to myself, Yeah, good things do still happen. There’s still that neighborly kind of love. The fights, the disagreements, the noise on social media, the ways we feel disconnected from family and friends, and everything we see in the news are all real. And so is this.
A young boy noticed his mom needed something and shared what he had. A woman who didn’t even know them saw it and did the same. She had water to share, so she shared it. It was that simple.
It got me thinking about how much we need to feel connected. In a world where it’s easy to get caught up in selfies and all that “I am” energy, I think about the Self with a capital S. To me, that’s the part of us that feels connected to something bigger. It’s that very human desire to belong, to be in relationship with one another.
And within a few minutes of me witnessing that, Eliot started singing a song with words from one of his teachers, Ram Dass.
“We’re all just walking each other home.”
Yep, the timing was magical. I’m getting goosebumps just writing about it.
To me, walking each other home means choosing kindness over judgment, giving each other room to grow, and remembering that we get to help each other through this whole being human thing. Sometimes it looks like sharing half a cup of water.
I hope this little story reminds you that you’re not alone and that there’s still good in this world. When you get a chance to share a little love, kindness, or compassion, take it. It’s contagious!
