i grew up thinking that the village people who sang YMCA were from the grad housing unit I grew up next to – called “the village”.
nathan grew up thinking the village people who sang YMCA were singing about church because he grew up at a church that met at the local YMCA and he associated the two.
that the song has generated confusion for the both of us is another point of connection – one of many connections that make long distance seem less long.
distance has no way of making love understandable
when i’m in the community in a work or mission context (as in on some kind of short term mission trip), it’s significantly easier for me to strike up conversations with people. these can range from painfully uncomfortable interactions to pleasantly comfortable, but still constitute conversations nonetheless.
on the other hand, i don’t know why it’s so hard for me to interact with people i come across in my non-work life- specifically, cashiers. i generally overcompensate for my fear of failing to connect with people by withdrawing- as if sticking my head in the sand makes the situation go away.
once in a blue moon, when all the stars align, i’ll have a really good conversation with a checkout person that is delightful and natural.
perhaps it is in this setting where the lines compartmentalizing work-mode from life-mode are lifted.
today, after feeling like i failed to connect to two cashiers, i biked home, wallowing in existential crisis. am i forever overruled by fear? how can i expect to work with people if i can’t even talk to them?
and in the chaos of these annoying thoughts, i looked up and saw a baby wave at me. she was sitting in a stroller being pushed by her mom. she smiled at me and when i waved back, her mom smiled too.
maybe i don’t have to approach people with everything figured out. maybe a combination of divine orchestration and a simple response is all it takes to embrace others.
today i get to live out the introvert’s dream-
a welcoming space
unstructured free time
and the contemplative mood- courtesy of overcast weather
i feel blessed.
God, i feel it.
Out of Darkness 