What did you do today that matters? Did you spend time listening? Maybe offer up a complimentary comment to a stranger? Did you remind someone how much you appreciate them? Love them? Did you take a deep breath and feel your lungs inflate, then allow your shoulders to relax as you exhaled? What did you do?

If you didn’t do anything yet, there’s still time.

This is all part of your story. And your story only really exists now. You can look at your past and call it your story, maybe even look towards your hopeful future and call it the same. But fact is, none of that really matters much. What matters is now. How you are living right now (like, right this very absolute second) is where it’s at. This is the moment in time where your story is actually playing out.

I spend my days talking with people about stories. And over time I’ve come to believe that never is a story a one-person thing. It’s always a bundle of stories mixed into one. A thousand people on one vibrational, resonating web. Every person’s story making everyone else’s unique. We are all happening together. And this togetherness is a thing we all want and need whether we realize it or not.

Togetherness.

Our stories only matter when they include others. They are always more enjoyable to listen to when they include others. More powerful when they include others. Our stories are nothing without that person next to you. Without that stranger who’s ringing you up or standing next to you on the bus or train. The guy in traffic who cut you off. The new coworker. Your date. Your child. The old lady who asked you for change.

It’s the other people who make us exist. And for that, we ought to be grateful.