Random Connections

While driving to an appointment one afternoon a couple of weeks ago I saw a familiar elderly lady walking her chubby ol' wiener dog down the avenue. I've seen the "couple" make their way along the same street a handful of times before and they always catch my attention for a number of reasons...

First of all, I grew up with dachshunds and therefore I take note of every wiener dog I see. Secondly, the dog is just sooo fat. He's round and hysterically cute. Seeing him instantly makes me laugh regardless of the mood of the day. And finally they look so happy trotting along together in the sunshine. (Well, the dog waddles. Truly he does. His belly nearly grazes the ground.) There's a visible love between the two that's rather compelling. You just know that they have been together for many, many years.

Normally when I drive by I'm just an outsider looking in on their walk, but that day... That day I drove by and seeing the two made me genuinely smile yet again. And that day the little, old woman happened to look up and caught me staring and smiling at them. She stood up just a bit straighter, smiled brightly, and warmly waved to me--welcoming me in to that moment of their walk, of their lives. That simple gesture, the smile and wave, made me smile wider and more deeply. There was a brief, sincere, and friendly connection between us that I took with me. A gift from one stranger to another.

I keep that gift in my heart. To some, it would mean nothing. But to me...

We all need more random connections--no matter how short or small. The world would be in a better state of being and we would all be happier. So smile and wave, people, you could very easily make a stranger's day.