A local in Medellin asked me 'What are you building?' and it made me rethink everything

I was just working on my laptop at a cafe, and he pointed out I was always consuming content, never making anything. Has anyone else had a moment that shifted your work focus while traveling?

3 comments

3 Comments

wood.noah3mo agoTop Commenter

Had a similar thing happen in Lisbon last spring. Was just another tourist taking photos of the same tram everyone else does. A shopkeeper asked me if my camera could also show me what was behind it. Stuck with me for days. Started paying more attention to people and less to getting the perfect shot. That simple question changed how I move through a new city.

sethb453mo ago

Wait, you were just sitting in a cafe and a stranger came up and said that? That's wild. It's a pretty deep question to get from a random local. Makes you wonder what he was seeing that you weren't.

thea1431mo ago

And what did you actually do differently after that? Did you put the camera down, or did it just echo in your head without really changing anything?