We Bonded Over Fried Potatoes (amongst other things)

I took my very.first.train.ride.EVER this weekend. I'd like to say it was all I had expected, but I really had no expectations going in. I can say, to me, it was some of the best qualities of driving and flying all in one. The return home felt surreal- kind of like being in a movie watching the fields and cities flying by tinged with the colors of the setting sun.

But that's not the point of this blog. The point of this blog is what I learned this weekend in NY:

1. Meaningful connections can happen from a distance and be further solidified in person. My new friend is  wonderful, and she and I share an unbridled love of popcorn and fried potatoes. (and by "fried potatoes" I literally mean potatoes sliced in any shape/thickness and then fried.) But more importantly, we share a love of life and the passion to pursue our hearts' deepest desires no matter what obstacles come our way. We are able to question each others' motives and hold each other accountable to words through action.
2. Going into a situation with no expectations leaves you open to fully and objectively be present in the experience without inflicting said expectations of what "should" be. I attended the workshop she was part of leading, and found myself so lucky to be among the people there who found strength, resolve, and peace through the community there. People realized they weren't alone in their struggles, and that is key in making it through life.
3. Community is SO important. We are not meant to live life alone. We are pack animals and require each other's interaction, relationship, and love to survive. Yes, literally to survive on a physical level as well as on an emotional one. As I've said before, if you're not growing, you're dying.
4. Sometimes, no matter how much a person, place, or thing meant to us, we have to let it go in order to continue to grow. Not everything we encounter was meant to be a permanent part of our lives- at least, not physically. We carry bits and pieces of all we've experienced with us in some form or another because those experiences have helped shaped who we are today. So, those things aren't all lost. We honor what we love by how we live.