What I can provide insight about is that I’ve also begun feeling into those painful emotions that have been cropping up. Fear. Anxiety. Anger. Again, the emotional pain is somehow released. Even the anger, and I’ve been conditioned that anger was “bad” and therefore tried all sorts of twisted remedies to rid myself of it.

She just wanted to connect with people. It could be through weather observations, a new haircut, a work-related compliment. I’ve always looked down on small talk. But I learned through her that by engaging in small conversations day in and day out she made people feel that what they said or did mattered.