My brother, Henry, is thru-hiking the entire 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail. His experiences reveal solutions to our very real modern issues of community.

We are living in the midst of a meaning crisis, a loneliness crisis, and a violence crisis. I could keep going, but these seem important for our conversation on friendship.

If we were to legitimately see each stranger as a fellow thru-hiker, I cannot help but believe that life would be a little bit easier for all of us. And little moments would be a whole lot more enjoyable.

During my time with Henry, we decided that someone needed to wash his clothes for him. He would have washed them at the hostel, so it was only fair that one of us went and washed his clothes at the local laundromat. I drew the short stick (jk, I volunteered).

While at the laundromat, I was able to put my theory to the test. There was one lady named Melissa, scrolling her phone on the only bench in this tiny laundromat. I asked her a question, and she seemed open to a much longer conversation. So I took it, and I am sure glad I did! We were able to laugh together. She told me many stories of how she has thrived during almost thirty years of being married to her best friend. I got to pray for her two daughters. And we got to celebrate some exciting upcoming travels “rollercoastering” at Cedar Point.

What could have been an isolating, awkward moment turned into something special, even if it led to nothing huge or a much longer friendship.

The truth is, we all are thru-hiking through life. And, sometimes, a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet.

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