Finding Joy in a Wave: A Glimpse of Connection in the Everyday

As the sun sets over Union City, I board the BART train to work in San Francisco, where each day takes me past a mosaic of lives, struggles, and quiet moments of hope. This week, I’ve been stationed at Eddy and Jones, near the police station—a place where the pulse of the city is raw and unfiltered.

In this swirl of humanity, you see everyone: the kids rushing to school, the professionals with their coffee cups, and those who struggle—some with mental illness, some with addiction, others just searching for a friendly face. One afternoon, as I worked, I heard it—a man’s voice, yelling from a window, lost in the wind of the city. I squinted, unable to see his face clearly, but I raised my hand, and he waved back. I smiled, and he said, “Have a good day.” I did.

But something lingered. Each day, he returned—still yelling, still waving—and I realized he wasn’t just a loud voice in the fog; he was lonely. Yesterday, he approached me on the street, a familiar face at last. He asked, with a gentleness I didn’t expect, “Why does all the news have to be bad? Why can’t we see something good?”

He didn’t seem dangerous; he just seemed like a man whose words got lost in the chaos. And so today, we’re going to share a sandwich. I don’t know his whole story yet, but I know that sometimes, a small wave, a simple lunch, can be the start of a brighter moment. And maybe, if we all take a moment to connect—even with the strangers who shout from a window—our world can feel just a little bit kinder.