A few weeks ago I was on an Amtrak train from Philly to NYC and I overheard a woman talking on her phone. The sound of her voice vacillated between that of a small child and the groan of a wounded animal.

At first I ignored the sound….I mean it WAS NOT my business, right?

I continued my reading but my heart kept breaking for her. The sounds were getting louder and I could hear her pleading with the listener to “say you love me” was escalating and making her sob even more.

I decided that I would offer her an ear but what would I say? How should I intervene?

I approached her and said, “You can tell me to go to hell or it’s none of my business, and that’s ok but I overheard some of your conversation and you sound so sad. How can I help?”

She looked up and tears immediately started flowing and she said, “Yes, I am so sad.”

She moved her purse and I perched on the edge of the chair and we spoke for 30 minutes or so. I did not SOLVE any of her problems, nor was it my intent. I intended to remind her of her beauty and divinity and every time I spoke I held that intention.

She said that she wanted a man to love her.

I said that indeed the love of another was sweet and did she love herself?

I recommended a few books that saved my life and as I was leaving I told her what I saw in her. I listed all the sweet things I saw and I said, “My hope and prayer for you is that you see what I see.”

I got off at my stop.
We did not exchange cards or numbers and I did not try to get her as a coaching client.
I wanted no material gain from that encounter.
I was filled with spiritual gain.
I went home and wrote a FB post about the encounter and got this response from the post from a dear friend.

“I also needed to share- I was so touched by your FB status today and how you approached the woman on the train. Two weeks ago, I was that woman crying her eyes out on Amtrak from NYC to Boston…as I was every week on that train the summer two years ago that my mom was dying. A friendly face and kind ear would have made a world of difference. You gave that woman a tremendous gift, and it warms my heart to think of how you and your goodness light up the world.”

Dear reader, please remember that tears are NOT toxic and if someone is crying in public, they could probably use a kind face and a soft voice to remind them that things will be different tomorrow. We cannot say “get better” but we can say “be different.”

Let us BE an active part of this HUMAN family.

Love and light
Indrani