A new year. A new story to write.

We are stories. I’ve always thought so. Each person carries their own life with them, every single day. We can read it in their eyes, their hands, their smile, the small wrinkles around their eyes during a conversation. Even in the pauses between words as we speak.

Through the book All the Lost Addresses by Laura Imai Messina, I encountered a delicate reflection on respecting the story of every person, even those we don’t know. Respecting it simply because it exists.

Every letter sent to a recipient whose address is unknown — whose name, or perhaps even that, might be a mystery — but is sent to a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, the Island of Lost Addresses. This possibility carries magic. It brings the magic of words that were never heard in person but found a listener in the heart of the one who wrote them. Because every word can find its place, its space, its voice, even on paper. And in doing so, it gains courage and life.

Each of us is a story, and as such, deserves respect. Deserves care. Deserves attention. Observing without judgment is no easy task. It requires awareness, openness, and a willingness to embrace others, silencing our own ego.

Fabio Fiori says “The sea demands attention from the traveler.” I like to think so too. Attention as the world around us keeps turning — fast, slow, hurried, or in slow motion — while we continue moving forward. Attention inward and outward. And it’s not an easy process; it requires constant effort and a daily willingness to question ourselves. Embracing the idea that we are constantly evolving, continuously under construction. We are travelers, pilgrims.

Tomas Navarro invites us to adopt this perspective through his words: “The problem is that we judge instead of observing. To understand a person, a life, a desire, a fear, you need to know the context, because it explains that person’s reality.”

And he goes on to say: “Understanding is always better than judging. Adopt a benevolent outlook to grasp the importance of context, which is everything. It’s up to us to decide how to view people and situations. Focusing solely on imperfections means missing all the beauty in life. It’s a kind of perceptual trick that leads us to always seek out flaws, negativity, impurity, the little stain on the white sheet. The best advice I can give you is to adopt a benevolent, curious, and restless gaze — one that can discover details, expand your perception of the world, and deepen the knowledge you can draw from it, setting aside prejudice and the urge to always see only what you want.”

Beyond every personal story we live, that we are, within each of us beats a heart. In each of us, blood pulses through our veins. In each of us, countless souls coexist, and we are perfect just as we are — in our imperfection. Human beings.

This article is dedicated to all the beautiful people whom I’ve met in recent months. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get to know you and, at the same time, for giving me the chance to rediscover myself — as a colleague and as a person. To them, my heartfelt thanks.