We're not that different
How the world got a lot bigger and a little smaller
Over the past month, I spent the night in 10 cities across 3 countries, and as good as it feels to be back in my own bed, there was still some familiarity to take comfort in on the road.
I found that the world got a lot bigger, but it also got a little smaller. For all the differences we seek out in a new cultural setting, there are so many quotidian things we do each day that tie us together.
Just as we have in our own cities, there are the waiters who would love for us to put down our phones and just order dinner. There are the cab drivers who would like the car in front of us to go a little faster. There are the locals who think it’s funny that we’re taking a photo of a building that has no known historical significance.
We inhabit different spaces, we speak different languages, and yet we’re not that different.
I wasn’t surprised that traveling made the world feel bigger and inspired some thinking about where to go next. I was surprised that it also made the world feel a little smaller. Though there are far more places I won’t visit than ones I do, I like knowing that even some of the farthest flung people are also sitting down to write today, just as they’ll head off to work and have a meal and tell someone they love them.