What People Do To Me

"Thank you!"

"You girls are doing a wonderful job!"

"This is the reason I love this city!"

"This is the highlight of the journey!"

"You're beautiful!"

"You're so enthusiastic! Where do you get the energy from?"

I get the energy from YOU.

Waking up early has never been this exciting. I rubbed my sleepy eyes wondering what I'd got myself into but little did I know what awaited. Armed with funny posters and a will to motivate fellow city dwellers, Kanksha and I cheered the Marathon runners as they ran the last leg of the event. As we screamed and danced on the pavement, we gave big, really BIG high-fives to the runners that passed by. Who knew a simple friendly gesture could go on to refuel and energise, well, strangers? The strange part was that it didn't feel as though we were making contact with strangers! The poetic notion of having no boundaries and feeling one came alive as we extended ourselves to everyone who came that way. Who the people were or what they did, didn’t matter- everyone was enraptured in the same spirit. We meant to brighten up their journey but got so much love in return! A women was elated that I woke up early "specially" for her and I was overwhelmed to see how much a seemingly silly idea meant to those it touched.

I'm not a very athletic person, yet, I continued extruding energy, jumping on the street for over three hours. Where did I get the energy from? From the people! Human interaction, no matter how brief, has a magical impact on me. Making contact for a short second as I slapped my palm against another's or my eyes smiled at someone across the road, I drew energy and gave it back to the next person. And it was beautiful!

Today, I experienced the joy of giving, giving unconditionally, extending myself without inhibition.

Today, I experienced warmth, warmth that I shared with people I didn't even know.

Today, I experienced exhilaration, massive energy from supporting another.

And today, I experienced the power of human contact, a power that cannot be sourced from anywhere else.

My toes feel funny and my side has a slight (sweet) pain but oh, what a morning it was! 

-Aditi