The Space Between Pain and Suffering

It was a small moment, almost forgettable.

I was sitting alone in my car outside a familiar café, engine off, phone in my hand, watching people drift past the windshield. Office-goers with hurried steps. A young couple arguing softly. An older man waiting patiently for someone who seemed late. I wasn’t waiting for anyone. I had arrived early for a meeting and decided not to rush inside.

I stayed.

There is something honest about these in-between minutes. They don’t demand productivity. They don’t carry expectations. They simply exist.

3

Be That Stranger

I was waiting outside a small clinic one afternoon, seated on one of those plastic chairs that never quite support your back. People came and went. A nurse called out names. Someone dropped a file. A child tugged at his mother’s sleeve. It was ordinary in every possible way.

And yet, in that quiet in-between space, I noticed how invisible we all were to one another.

We sat side by side, close enough to hear each other breathe, yet wrapped in our own private worlds. Phones in hand. Eyes lowered. Each carrying something unspoken. Worry. Fatigue. Hope. A long day ahead.

Strangers, all of us.

3

Being the Bargain

It was an ordinary afternoon.

I was standing in a small neighborhood store, holding two similar items in my hands. Same function. Similar look. One was cheaper. The other cost a little more. I turned them over quietly, reading labels, checking weight, feeling texture. The shopkeeper waited without urgency. No sales pitch. No pressure.

I picked the slightly expensive one.

Not because I needed it more.
Not because it was flashy.
Something about it simply felt… right.

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