Sonder

During a recent visit to Bozeman, MT, based upon a recommendation of my “single serving friend” on the flight out, I took a short walk/hike on the local dog walk trail with my daughter and her friend. I was explaining to them how each time I fly over a city, I marvel at the vast number of residences, and the fact that someone, or some family, occupies each one, and is living a unique and interesting life. A life full of joy, sorrow, anticipation, fear, celebration, and the whole range of emotions we as humans can experience.

And, I would never know about them or their hopes and dreams. Or conversely, I could disappear from my current home and drop into a new community and become part of the fabric of the local residence’s lives. This idea has always struck me as fascinating.

My daughter’s friend, simply stated, “Oh, you mean sonder.”

Until that point, I didn’t realize there was a word for this. The YouTube video I found after Googling sonder (above) was very remarkable and illustrated my thought process beautifully.

To me, this is the fringe of the Guides influence I mentioned previously. Sonder explains the rest of the story. It’s the people who create the scene of our lives. They may not have the impact of a “guide”, but their existence creates the depth of the human experience.

I realize I’m that background character in so many scenes of other peoples lives. It helps strengthen the notion that we are all connected in some way. It brings a smile to my face. It’s an awesome thing.