Have you ever stopped to wonder if each person we meet in life has a purpose? That people come into our lives for a reason? That there are no coincidences?

In a world full of smart phones and being constantly "connected," it's easy to become "disconnected" from every day interactions that could lead to opportunity. Sure there are people we pass on the street every day and we might not give those interactions a second thought. But what if we took time to unplug and consider that each person we come into contact with might just have something to offer us, if we just take the time to interact?

Not all interactions are positive.... not all interactions inspire us.... what if there was something to learn from all of them? Many people with disabilities have faced discrimination, inaccessibility, ignorance and dismissal. These can be a very real part of our reality. The lessons we learn from these interactions however, are the kinds of experiences that may allow us to create change. Think about what our communities could be like if we took advantage of these "negative" interactions and turned discrimination into an opportunity to educate; inaccessibility into an opportunity to petition for equal access; ignorance into education; or dismissal into acknowledgement.

Below is a quote that I think speaks very well to the idea of keeping an open mind for the people that we meet and that we never know what opportunities may lie with each one.

"We have three types of friends in life: Friends for a reason, friends for a season, and friends for a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person."

- Author Unknown

Let's keep our hearts and minds open. People come and go, but we never know when we might bump into someone for a reason who can learn from us or who we can learn from. They may even leave us better than before!