It Started With Chocolate
Did you ever consider the fact that at every moment you are alive on Earth you are sharing your journey with a particular human population that has never existed before and will never exist again? In that, at virtually every second one or more people is exiting their existence, while others are just beginning theirs, in a very real sense at every moment your co-travelers are a unique collection of people that will never be again.
As far back as I can remember I have enjoyed interacting with people that I meet in my daily existence. If the opportunity presents itself, and it almost always does, I find some entrée to engage with a person or people who happen to be near me. It could be my server at a restaurant to whom I have just introduced myself, or perhaps someone sitting near me on the beach who is reading a book I have heard about. The opportunities really are limitless and frequently result in exchanges that are wonderful. Unfortunately for my wife, it sometimes means that when I head to the Men’s room at a restaurant, I don’t reappear at our table for 45 minutes because I saw someone along the way who looked interesting. Sorry Babe, I’ll try better to reign myself in.
A couple of years back I was standing in a check-out line at Trader Joe’s in Hartsdale, NY. I was a little anxious. You see, when I was a kid I would go shopping with my mother. We would proceed to the check-out line, but then she would walk away to get some additional item or two she had forgotten. I always got nervous that the adults behind me would get pissed if my Mom caused them to have to wait. I am now almost 62 years old and my wife does the same thing when we go shopping. The little kid in me still gets nervous that she won’t come back quickly. I guess it’s true that you really do spend the rest of your life trying to get over your childhood.
Anyhow, while white knuckling with my cart waiting for my wife to return, in front of me was an Asian woman who appeared to be about 10 years my senior. She was athletically built and obviously in good shape. In her cart was a very large bar of Belgium dark chocolate. There was my opening, plus talking to people usually calms me down. I commented that the bar sure looked good. We then began to talk about chocolate. She spoke fluent English with a pronounced accent that I thought had its basis in one of the Chinese dialects. It turned out that we both have a deep personal relationship with the candy. Interestingly, she then said, “they don’t have food here (Trader’s Joe’s) from China”, and with that we were already getting to know each other.
The woman then asked me if I was a runner. My wife and I had just come from the gym, and I was wearing running tights, a tank top and sneakers. I told her that I used to be a big runner, having completed a number of marathons, half marathons, triathlons and hundreds of shorter races, but I had to stop because of an old soccer related knee injury. I said that I now teach indoor cycling and lead outdoor bike rides, but that I really miss running. To my amazement she said that she came from Taiwan, and that she ran track. Specifically, she ran the 1500m at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, and that she still holds her Country’s national record for the event
While we talked, she became hesitant and emotional. She said that she was about to tell me something she had rarely ever discussed before. She told me about the horrors of the kidnapping of the Israeli Olympic team at the 1972 games, and how the death of the athletes by terrorists had impacted all other athletes attending the games. She had lived in the Olympic Village in close proximity to the Israeli team and had gotten to know some of them. She said that she had never forgotten their faces and that in the village they were all just athletes sharing an amazing experience, and that everything had been horribly shattered. When my wife came back to the check-out line, she found me hugging my new friend. I bowed to her and I told her that I was honored to have met her. I will probably never see her again, but I was immeasurably enriched by our meeting.
Humans are social creatures. We have this ability to connect one on one if we choose to do so. We live in a time where we seem to be encouraged to look for differences amongst one another (both individually and in groups, ethnicities, religions, etc.). If that is your choice, to look for differences, you will no doubt find them. Right now, there are some 7.8 billion of us scampering around, just trying to muddle through every day. Putting food on the table, finding some shelter, caring and nurturing our kids. Having hopes and dreams for our kids. That is the universal language. That is the fundamental common ground that exists between all of us on the most primal level. That is where our humanity exits. That is where I choose to live. So, the next time you’re standing somewhere, just look at the human standing next to you. Throw caution to the wind and engage with a smile and an honest inquisitiveness. Embrace your humanity, put away that electronic device in your hand that is preventing you from engaging in what’s going on around you and take the plunge. The riches and the rewards will be limitless, and the world will be a little kinder, a little gentler, a little smaller and a little less frightening. Peace.
