the people you meet along the way
I have been thinking a lot lately about the people we meet along the way. If you see life as a road, you assume, like a road, it has an end. By traveling down this road you will undoubtedly meet new people. A life is comprised of those you meet and then how long that connection lasts. I have a best friend that I have known since I was 7 years old (18 years). Her and I didn’t start off as best friends, but rather as neighbors that interacted among similar play groups. It wasn’t until we matured and appreciated the beauty of our past, did we realize we were best friends. It was our decision to stay close and allow time apart to strengthen the natural camaraderie we shared upon reunion.
I bring my best friend up because she symbolizes a rarity in my life due to the singularity of the word best friend. Besides Caitlin, I have several close friends that I love. Besides Caitlin and these other friends, I have even more acquaintances I enjoy spending time with. This has nothing to do with popularity. My point is to shed importance on the people we meet along the way. My best friend is my best friend because I want her to be. She means the world to me and I know I couldn’t live without her. However, when I refer to an acquaintance, I may be sad to see them go, but I can move on. Acquaintances are so frequent because life is filled with people we don’t know. You may say goodbye to one acquaintance only to bump into a new one ten minutes later.
Some of the most amazing and truly inspiring people I have meet in my life, are the acquaintances I have meet along the way. I find myself letting my guard down and opening up sometimes to those I have known much less time than some of my close friends. There are so many reasons for this. A huge reason is the idea of a time limit. If you meet someone in a circumstance that will soon end (i.e., one week vacation to a tropical island), you’re more quick to pass on judgment, assume the best, and end that human connection with a smile. These are some of the most meaningful, memorable, and interesting types of relationships that have set the foundation for how I chose my own friends today.
Two years ago, I began a job I thought I’d only have for a month or two, TOPS. Two years later, I am sitting behind the same nine CCTV monitors, six computers, an intricate fire panel system and an array of advanced surveillance equipment that is used to secure a 2.5 million square foot facility. Seeing as I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Spanish from an impressive college, I was able to advance quickly in this company. Those who work under me, however, are some of the most genuine and eccentric people I’ve ever known. Working to provide a service for highly educated and profitable clientele, the degree of rudeness and incredible greed we see is served to us daily like a cold slap in the face. I know the youth of this clientele is comprised of employees with equal or less education that me, yet the attitude in which these people carry themselves is astonishing. This does not apply to everyone of course. With money doesn’t always come greed, but often it does.
One of my co-workers is a 28 year old fiery Puerto Rican woman with three boys under the age of six. This woman battles the immaturity and selfishness of kids’ father as if she cares for four children. She lives for her children, but lives equally for the comfort she provides in others around her, including her mentally retarded sister. I hear her stories as she has confided in me, just as I have confided in her. She listens and asks questions because she cares. She remembers names and stories because she actually listens. She is an incredible woman with a limited education frequently made obvious by her lack of the proper English language. She is funny beyond believe, she is warm-hearted, brutally honest, regularly inappropriate, and at the same time, a gifted woman that shines brightly above the materialism of our clientele.
The acquaintances I meet in the gym offer me a drive for success to reach my physical goals.
The quick acquaintances I meet at the bar offer short drunker banter that makes a normal night, a memorable one.
The old man sitting next to me on an airplane offers his wisdom, only to make me realize those who criticize their generation forget who raised it.
It’s these small connections we make along the way, regardless of duration, that help add spice to our colorful lives. At least for me, when I reach my introductory hand out, it’s only a matter of time that this person may be another form of beauty that life present me.
So drive down your own road, meet new people, don’t hold back, and appreciate the things you learn from the people you meet along the way..