strangers on an elevator

awkwardness no longer bothers me
in a weird, sitcom-esque way - I actually enjoy it

you know those moments that if someone else was there - you'd be killing yourselves laughing?
but it's just you - so it makes a lame story for later instead

these situations are funny because they are quite common, so most of us understand them

our physicality matters
we have a body
we have a presence
and that matters
don't ask me why - but it does

as I sit here in front of my computer, my presence is disembodied in relation to you as you read this

but...

in an elevator - our bodies matter
and there's an unspoken etiquette to how we use them

I won't go into the etiquette now - but think about your last elevator ride

for most people, there is a slight exchange of glances
a chit and/or a chat - typically weather related
a brief question on you desired destination (sounding so much more exotic than just floor)
and then silence

oh...that silence

and in that silence - so many things are said, thought and felt

I have a soul - you have a soul

and in some mysterious way - our bodies are comingled with our souls

how we use our bodies is important, as they are a remarkable reflection of the soul within

but what gets me is how our bodies can be mere inches apart and yet our souls are millions of miles away

and so we ride this metallic box in this urban landscape towards our next exotic destination having never 'engaged' the souls we ride with

but there are those brief, fleeting moments of deep significance that occur from time to time where our souls, screaming to be heard, have transcended to the surface - gasping for breath

and it happens - connection. inexplicable connection with another soul

we thirst for this

but maybe we're just strangers on an elevator...