There are people who cross our path in a fraction of time and in the briefest encounter they leave a deepest mark on our heart.
***
Recently, while leafing through one of my old diaries, I came across an entry that took me back to the distant past, where one cold autumn day I met an elderly woman in Vingis park, in Lithuania, my then country.
Our conversation began unexpectedly with completely insignificant phrases but soon grew into a conversation that I wanted to write down without missing a single word said by this woman.
Now, more than ever, I understand what this eldery woman wanted to say to me, a young and naive girl, about life and loneliness. Loneliness is not a situation, it's a feeling and we are strong enough to change it.
There were days when the woman had a hard time to stay in empty house and, not knowing how to deal with this emptiness, one summer evening she opened the window and began to listen to the ringing of church bells, and the feeling of loneliness disappeared. She and the world became one, they belonged to each other.
On those days when the church bell didn't ring, the woman listened to the rustling of leaves, to the wind and the voices of birds and just silence.
When I feel lonely, I read books, watch wildlife documentaries, look at the mountains and plan my next trip to my favorite bird locations. And at such moments I know that I belong to this world and we are one.
Generally, life is good!
