By: Libby Trausch, PT, DPT
It was the final day of the final week of my yoga in healthcare training. It was 3 days after our nation elected a bigot to our highest office. I had just found out that after being gone for a week. My flight was delayed and I was going to miss yet another bed time and was feeling down. It was Veteran’s Day.
The Veteran
Then I sat down in my seat on the tiny little plane and the elderly man next to me introduced himself. “I’m Steve,” he said, near tears. “I am a World War II Veteran and I got a Purple Heart for my service.” He pulled out his ID, as if to prove to me that it was true. I’m fairly certain that my heart about burst with radiant gratitude and joy when he said these words. We spent the rest of the flight chatting about the scenery out the window and little bits here and there about his life. When he told me about his time in the Philippines, he nearly cried each time.
The Lesson
That morning, for the first time, I had gone to a new website, scienceofmind.org for a morning spiritual lesson and listened to a short excerpt. The lesson encouraged the listener to find God in her neighbor, so he could find God in his neighbor (that’s YOU, right?!). I was struck at the lesson I got from the Universe this morning. In the sweet, divine happenstance of getting the pleasure of sitting with Steve that day on the plane.
The Gift
This little man radiated magnetism. Partially so I could hear him and partially because it felt right, I felt myself leaning into him, rubbing his arm, wanting to hear more of his story, but not wanting to be intrusive. My intention was to work on that flight, but I could not pass up this gift of human connection to bury my head in my computer.
See, there are many layers of health and real human connection is a vital layer. Without that, lives are shorter, people are sicker. Dan Buettner, in his book mentions that in the populations with the longest lives, they have the strongest social connections. Make no mistake, if there are big gaps in social connection, you will be sicker, hurt more, feel worse.
Aside from the pure joy of spending an hour with one of the last remaining World War II veterans, the universe gave me a powerful lesson today. I will remember this. Work can wait. People cannot.