Two years ago, while commuting to work each day, I noticed that I had never seen strangers talk to each other on the GO Train. And not just in the Quiet Zone, either.

I get it. The idea of talking with a stranger comes with a whole lot of extra anxiety that could’ve otherwise been avoided if we just both kept our headphones on.

My unofficial notebook project started with a flimsy blue notebook I carried around—already filled with a few notes and doodles of my own. One afternoon, I overheard a kid talking to his mom about visiting a dinosaur pop-up show happening near Cooksville GO. Curious, I asked them to tell me more. This kid knew so much about dinosaurs that the rest of our commute turned into a National Geographic documentary-esque masterclass on dinosaurs. By the end, I was so impressed that I asked him to draw a dinosaur in my notebook so that I would remember him.

And so, for the rest of the summer, I tried to talk to a different stranger on the GOTrain each day. One day, I met a nice old grandpa who drew the Toronto skyline, wrote a poem called “Dreams”, and explained how it embodied the American dream that immigrants often chase when coming to Canada.

Another woman wrote about trying meditation for the first time. Another contributed parts of their biochemistry thesis. Others filled pages with doodles, anecdotes, or everyday reflections.

Chatting with strangers and getting them to write a journal entry became part of my favourite day.

The word “sonder” describes the realization that every passerby has a life as complex and vivid as your own. Chatting with these lovely strangers made my day feel that much more whimsical.

Sadly, I no longer have the journal with me. However, I still meditate from time to time, I opened my first GIC because of an awesome accountant’s advice, and I approach each of my conversations with a whole lot of excitement to get to know them more.

We are beautiful mosaics of everyone we meet in our lives, and humans are a lot closer to each other than we think!