My Collection of Others' Lost Moments

As a traveler for work, every moment is a fleeting one for me. I make eye contact with strangers, watch how others engage around me, and witness how nature's wonders go about their everyday duties in life.

I know that I will never see these persons or creatures again, but somehow their collective presence has made an impact on me. Their existence has resounded within me in the way that reminds me that not everyone is connected to each other any more. From the friends waiting together in line for an adrenaline-laced ride; to the couple having dinner in a fancy restaurant; to the family shopping for groceries; and to the parent and child sitting in a waiting room: the majority are more connected with technology than with each other.

I find it ironic that these fleeting observations have made me feel closer to others and to myself. I have realized what is valuable in life and what it means to be human and a mother in this rapidly moving age of advancement.

What I used to take for granted, I appreciate more now. I visit my parents and spend time running 5ks with them, enjoying how the activity frees us from phones and keeps our bodies active. I read with my daughter, play with her, and take her to museums so that she has the physical connections that I used to have as a kid. I watch movies with my sister, and we both make it a rule to keep our phones far away from us so that we can comment, cry, and laugh without virtual interruptions.

And when I travel for my job, I observe people and create stories of them to keep my mind moving.

These thoughts would likely never have occurred to me had it not been for the multiple fleeting moments that I have shared with unaware strangers. After some time, instead of connecting with these moments, one starts to feel detached and pondering--pondering on things like how in a world with so many lonely people, why do so many unwittingly make themselves feel lonelier?

I will admit that I am not free of fault. I used to stare at my phone for hours on end. My parents would criticize me of never answering their calls, yet when I visited them, they always saw me on my phone. I had a couple social media accounts, and the connections I made there had been in fact addicting and fun.

But they were just that.

Today, I find it interesting that my recent travels have made me wonder why connections in the real world are not as addicting and fun to so many people.

I am happy for these invisible touches that I have received from so many strangers because thanks to them, I no longer need to have my phone on me on all times. I no longer require social media or to find out the latest trend. I remain in contact with real life friends and the keep the physicality aspects of myself alive.

Even as I type this at a restaurant right now, five people in my vicinity are staring at their phones--two of them couples. I won't speak with them. I'll never know their names. But they have been my passing moment that makes me more grateful for what I have in my life. They have made me appreciate so much more, and it is sort of regretful that they will never know how thankful I am to them.

So those are my fleeting moments. They involve those disconnected with the real world so that I could connect closer to my own.