Every morning that I go to the gym I see the same men. They are in their 60s and 70s and are volunteering to work as monitors of the facilities. While this task of sitting at a table for hours on end may be boring, they make the most of it.
One man with white hair and a round face (a description that I could use for almost all of the men) is always there on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I often walk in with a smile on my face and greet him good morning. Just the other day he told me, "You always have a smile on your face. You must be such a happy young lady!" Instantly I realized that he had come to know me. And I had come to know him as the lovely start to my days.
Although we don't know a single thing about each other except that we are both there at the same time certain days, the white-haired gym man and I have formed a bond - a bond from consistencies and friendliness. Now I look forward to going to the gym so that I can have a pleasant encounter with him. Yes, it is only a 30-second engagement, but nonetheless it is satisfying and bonding.
All around us we experience community in ways that we don't realize it. Whether it is greeting the man at the gym every morning with a smile or saying hi to a stranger that one sees in passing every day at the same time, we create for ourselves a sense of community through our pleasant exchanges. So stop and think - when was the last time that you experienced a bond with someone unknown? Perhaps with the boy at the grocery store or the mailman delivering your package. Most likely it was more recently than you'd expect!
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