Ireland is pretty, for sure.
Ireland is also quaint, mystical, and full of lively pubs serving pints and pints of Guinness.
Irish people are exceptionally friendly.
That is all true.
But when people ask “How was Ireland,” referring to our recent trip to the Emerald Isle, my answer had very little to do with the country.
What comes up from that question involve our interactions and connections we made with the people we met.聽
There was Eeva, a corporate executive and single mom from Finland who was on a solo long weekend holiday as a gift to herself. She caught my attention when I saw her enjoying her mushroom soup with so much pleasure without any distractions.
We’re now friends. 馃檪
There was Michael, an older Irishman who took us under his wings on a whim on the island of Inishmore. He invited us to his home, offered us tea and biscuits and showed us around the island. We kept asking him if he needed to go do something else and all he said was… “I offered.”
There was Deni, our Airbnb host from Slovakia who attempted to find World Cup soccer on the TV for us even though she barely knew anything about the sport. Deni is an artist whose passion was muted in her homeland. In Ireland, she gets to create freely and abundantly and her joy is palpable.
There was Becky, owner of a Malaysian restaurant who gave us all the details we need to know about Penang to prepare us for our upcoming trip to Malaysia.
There was Roberto, a Brazilian dude who served us at a restaurant in Dublin. He came to Ireland to study English, but also to open up his world he never knew existed.
There were the cheesemongers who educated us about all the wonderful local cheeses, told us the best places to get the best foods in town while wanting to know everything about us.
More than other travels and trips of the past, I feel like this one illuminated the magic of human connection for me. These people were all strangers to us before we met them on site. And yet, they felt safe; they were interesting and interested.
They all made our Ireland trip so meaningful.
Because of how we connected, they each single-handedly made Ireland a magical place.
Never underestimate the simplicity of connection. We are meant to connect, feel, share this experience called life with each other.
As important as these human beings, don’t underestimate the power of flow.
We would not have met these people, or enjoyed these experiences, if we did not allow for happenstance, serendipity and flow.
