I’ve been thinking a lot lately about connections…connections I have with people near and far. Thanks to the internet, I have friends from all over the world. I also have connections to people whose names I don’t know. For a long time now I’ve been thinking about these connections, what they mean to me, and how they brighten my days.

The one that inspired me to start this post was a young man who, every time I went to the gym, was standing with one of those advertising banner da kines outside Mattress World in Gresham. I’d see him three times a week on my way home, and one day started waving to him. He waved back, and from then on, every time I’d see him, I’d wave. And he’d wave to me, a big smile on his face. He was there no matter the weather, always with a big smile on his face as I drove by.

There’s a coffee shop just a few doors down from where he stood, and on the cold, rainy, days, I’d go through their drive-thru and get him a big cup of hot chocolate. He was always so grateful for the warmth. I’d also bring him homemade cookies, and if I didn’t have any of those, I’d snag a muffin for him from the coffee shop. “You’re gonna make me fat!” he’d laugh.

This went on for probably two years, and suddenly, he disappeared. I never see him anymore, and I can’t help but wonder where he is and/or what he’s doing now. I never knew his name and he never knew mine. I wonder if he’s okay, and think of our connection with fondness.

One time I was at the pickup window at the Boring/Damascus Post Office. A huge box of cat litter had arrived but it was ‘way too heavy for me to carry, so I told the clerk that I’d send my husband for it later. The man behind me said right away, “If you can wait till I’m done, I’d be happy to carry it to your car for you”. (The clerk would’ve done it, but she was swamped at the window.) That wonderful man did exactly that, and oh, how grateful I was! I thanked him over and over again, and said how glad he was to be able to help me like that. I never knew his name, either, and he didn’t know mine. But those few minutes of time, we connected.

Then yesterday I was back at the Post Office and there were five Amazon boxes that had arrived. My hands were already full of mail, and the clerk came out to get the boxes out of the ‘way low down postal locker. The man standing there held the locker door open for her, and another man told me he’d carry my boxes out for me. I thanked Kristy, the clerk, the man in front of the locker, and the second man and I walked out to my car. I told him how wonderful it was to live in a small town like we do where people are oh, so happy to help each other. He agreed and we talked about how friendly people are here.

After he loaded my boxes into the car, I thanked him again, and he shook my hand, told me how happy he was to help, and said, “God bless you”, and walked over to his own car. I replied, “God bless you, too”, and thought, “he just did!”

I’ve had even more brief connections, too, like holding open doors for people (especially at the Post Office), expressing appreciation to retail clerks, waving/giving the shaka to kind people who let me in to traffic, and doing the same for others. It takes so little effort to connect with others, no matter how briefly, and in these tumultuous days, I find that by concentrating on these connections, it helps me to focus on what’s really important. I wave to people walking along the road, and on quiet roads, offer treats to the doggies out on walks with their owners (I always ask first, of course). I’ve learned that “aloha” isn’t just a word…it’s something tangible that I can offer to others, hoping that in its own way, it will get passed on to in ways I will never know about.

This is a blog post I wrote back in 2019 about a connection that helped to save my life.

Connections are ours to be had if we take the time to look for them.