Together.

I went to the grocery store yesterday. We go quite often but this time we were only there so my mom could pick up some medication. We stood in line at the pharmacy. The adorable man in front of us, who must have been in his late 80's or 90's, was cracking jokes with the cashier. He reminded me of my grandfather; still trying to grasp those last few moments of independence.

The lady behind us tapped one foot repetitively, clearly in a hurry, muttering words to herself under her breath. I started casually conversing with my mom, discussing our current health care situation. Although completely serious, I said in a joking tone that I'd better get a check-up in with my doctor before we no longer have health care in a few months. My mom made some remark about my father but what struck me is the response that the woman standing behind us had. She chimed in instantly saying, "I'm in the same boat. My daughter doesn't have health insurance. I just lost my job. I'm back in school. I feel like such a let down." She then went on to tell us about how her daughter was graduating that night.

For a moment, I didn't feel so sad. That may seem weird considering this complete stranger had just shared a glimpse of her struggles. But the truth is, I suddenly no longer felt alone. I realized that it is not just me and my family enduring hard times. We are among millions suffering, but it's easy to forget that until you hear it straight from a stranger at the grocery store. So thank you, stranger, for reminding me that we're all in this together and that we must focus on the joys in life because that's what life is all about.

“Nobody has it easy, everybody has problems. You don’t know what they go through. Nobody is perfect, nobody deserves to be perfect. So before you start judging, criticizing, or mocking, remember everybody is fighting their own war.”— Unknown