The Power of Shared Experience

The view from where I was teaching in New York City. Think Coffee was directly below the venue.

On my mind: The extraordinary power of shared experience. 

Now home from a weekend of speaking and teaching in NYC, I find myself refelcting on the many interactions I shared with others--the bright, wise individuals I had the good fortune to meet on this trip. 

I'm so struck by the natural, deep connection born from shared experience -- how I can be in a room of strangers, yet they are not strangers at all. Our pasts, life situations, and stories are different, yet we share the recovery journey, and this common thread in our personal narratives instantly creates connection. We speak the same language. There's an intimate understanding, a knowing of each other and the resilience required to exist a little more fully each day.

 Today, I am feeling gratitude for  every individual I met this weekend, including the kind taxi driver and parking garage attendent who may (or may not) share in a recovery story, but can certainly relate to hard work and probably several other shared threads of life experience.

I can't wait to go back to NYC, and for more Think Coffee!