Every time I listen to someone’s story, there’s always a date. One that’s engraved in their memory, on which something significant took place. Something that changed their life forever. And made it hard for them to ever forget its little details.

And so I listen to them, and start thinking of my own calendar. I listen to them, and realize how most of those days sounded like ‘just another day’ for me, while for someone else, on some other side of the world, they totally weren’t. And the thought of that can get overwhelming. Because it could be that, while I’m sitting there having a peaceful breakfast on a random morning, someone else could be starting their day in a hospital at the very same time, watching a loved one go through the most excruciating pain of their life. And while I’m sitting there staring at my laptop’s screen for the day, someone else could be roaming around in the heat, trying to find a way to make money before they have to go back home to their little children. And while I’m laughing so hard on the phone with a friend, someone else could be crying their eyes out in the darkest spot of their room because of a terrible mistake they can’t seem to forgive themself for. I mean, something is always happening, somewhere, at every given instant. Even when it feels like my entire world is on pause, someone else’s might still feel like it’s being so excessively fast-forwarded, through that same time frame we share.

And yet, someone might also be meeting the love of their life for the very first time. And someone might be celebrating the news of a job offer they’ve worked so hard to get. And an entire family might be reuniting over dinner after long months of travel. All at the very same instant. Every single hour, of every single day. And that’s a thought I just couldn’t knock off of my mind all day, today. I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to be doing with it.

April 2, 2020