Connected

"When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another - and with ourselves."

~Jack Kornfield

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will live as one."

~John Lennon

It must have been somewhere in Chinatown that I heard the word. Connected, the voice said, as clear as a bell. As a precog that's used to hearing random words in her head, the voice didn't surprise me.  It was the perfect word to describe what I felt at that moment.  I'd just finished riding my motorcycle in the Dykes on Bikes contingent at the beginning of the San Francisco Pride Parade. Why wouldn't I feel connected?

I'd been in parades before; this was my fourth parade, in fact. Each parade held its own special place in my heart and memories. They'd all been crazy experiences and I can remember how perfectly comfortable I felt smiling, waving and laughing to the cheering crowds. This Pride Parade was no exception. But it was a different kind of day.

We were united in the belief that we were loved for who we were, despite the years of being told differently by those whose beliefs were as narrow as their vision. The streets were lined 12-15 deep by people who came to show their support. They believed in us as well!! I was overwhelmed with a feeling of love and gratitude for those smiling, cheering faces who were braving the unusually hot sun to be there for us. I wanted to stop my bike and hug each and every one of them.

And after the Parade, when Dan led us on a winding tour of the city on the way to the bike trailer, I was even more surprised by the support that was shown to a couple of rogue bikers, tooling through San Francisco. It's one thing to join thousands and cheer at a parade passing by, but another thing entirely to see the rainbow flag on the back of a motorcycle and cheer when you're the only one cheering. 

I was connected to the world, and even if there were still opposing viewpoints hidden behind those smiles, I knew that we were all still part of the same race and that eventually, even if not during my lifetime, we'd all be proud of being who we were.