We’re All in this Alone, Together
by Leslie Sann
We’re all in this alone, together
~ David Allen
I am on holiday in a small city in central Mexico; the population in the city proper is about 75,000. The streets are narrow. Most are one-way.
There are no traffic lights or stop signs. (Zero. Cero. Nothing. Nada.) Yet the traffic flows at an easy pace; pedestrians cross the street effortlessly.
The pace is what it is. There are no horns blasting in an attempt to get traffic to move faster than it is. Instead, people watch out for each other, letting the one who gets to the corner first go next. There is a gentle flow of movement as people move through the city on foot or in an automobile.
Almost all the sidewalks are wide enough for only one person to pass; therefore, when someone approaches, I step into the street and allow them to pass unless they step into the street for me first. We make eye contact and nod. Buenos Dias. Good Day.
We are all on our way to someplace, yet we are moving through the city together. Alone, yet together. On our own, yet there for each other.
For me, there is a gentleness and an ease that is palpable. Kindness and consideration. Paying attention, noticing there is someone else sharing the street. We figure out how to move towards our personal next together.
I like it.
I like living alone, together. Responsible for myself in service to others as we move through our lives, alone, together.
Think about it.
We are all in this alone, together.
What does that mean to you?
What would it be like for you to live in a world where you took care of yourself and cared for and about others? What might change for you in little ways?
Would you be like my neighbor who has brought my bins close to my house on a windy day rather than see them blown all over the street? Might you give your leftovers from a restaurant to the man asking for money on the corner? Perhaps you would let someone else have the parking spot you intended to pull into?
There are so many ways to be kind to others, giving from the overflow of your loving kindness, including allowing another to pass with ease on a narrow sidewalk.
Buenos Dias,
