A colleague once told me about a time when she decided to take a different route to work, just for a change of scenery. As she walked through a quieter part of the neighborhood, she stumbled upon a small park she had never noticed before. The park was nearly empty except for an older man sitting on a bench, feeding the birds.

Curious, she sat down nearby and watched as the birds flocked around him. After a while, the man struck up a conversation, sharing stories of how he’d been coming to that park for years, ever since his wife had passed. He said it brought him peace and a sense of connection to her. Touched by his story, my colleague realized how small moments of human connection can happen when you least expect them, just by taking a different path.