In today's reflection, I want to talk about something I used to think was luck.
I’m writing this from São Miguel in the Azores, Portugal, a few days before I fly home. This week’s episode came out of something that happened here: a 2:30am hike up the highest peak on the island, with a group of people who’d been strangers to me days earlier. Ten of us, nine other solo travelers and me, different ages, different countries, all reaching the summit together right as the sky opened into sunrise.
But the story isn’t really about the mountain. It’s about breakfast.
What Stayed With Me
Connection doesn't find you, you start it. Every morning at breakfast, I made a point of greeting whichever solo traveler was sitting alone. That one habit, repeated for days, is the entire reason ten of us ended up on a mountain together.
The question matters more than the greeting. Once the conversation started, the real move was asking what someone loved, not how they were. Asking a newer arrival about his favorite trail is what led us to the highest peak on the island in the first place.
Say yes before you feel ready. When the mountain guide in our group offered to organize the climb, plenty of us weren't physically or mentally prepared. Nobody backed out, and nobody was left behind.
I used to believe connection was something that happened to you. You got lucky, you ended up at the right table, you met the right person by chance. Sitting on top of that mountain, watching the sky turn colors I don’t have real words for, surrounded by nine people who were strangers less than two weeks ago, I understood how wrong that belief was.
None of it happened to me. I built it, one breakfast at a time. I said good morning first. I asked a real question. I said YES to a climb.
Not everyone on that mountain became a friend, and that’s fine. That was never the goal. I’m flying home with a handful of people I’ll actually stay close to, people I’ll see again, and that is exactly how real connection works. It was never about being liked by everyone. It’s about showing up enough times that the right people stick.
A question for you
What would happen if you said good morning to the person sitting alone tomorrow?
I’d love to hear. Reply in the comments or reach out. I’m collecting these stories.
It does not cost you anything to share. And sharing is caring!
Until next time, gorgeous: keep moving. Keep questioning. Keep being brave enough to not fit the mold. Your non-linear path isn’t a failure. It’s evidence that you’re paying attention.
And the world needs that.
See you in the next one,
Cris