One of the only things I’m certain of in life is this - I won’t make it out alive. There is no escaping death and I consider myself very lucky to have made it this far, far too many people I have loved in this life never got to be as old as I am right now.
Here’s the thing, the older I get the more deaths I will experience. There will be the “little” deaths like the death of wrinkle free skin, a good nights sleep, my Pollyanna like view of the world, there are all sorts of little deaths along the way. If I’m lucky enough to keep on living then there will also be more of the big losses, shake me to my core kind of losses, the kind that can make a complete mess of a person.
It’s in the throes of that variety of loss, when I will need my people. Those amazing members of my tribe who show up for me in times of celebration and when the going gets rough. The folks who lovingly stand beside me when I am lost in grief, snot running down my face eyes swollen shut from crying, knowing there isn’t a g’damn thing they can do to ease my pain but understanding the power of handing me a tissue. They will remain at my side while I clean myself up and get on with my life. They are the same peeps who will show up flashlight in hand for an unexpected dark night of the soul. These are the people who walk beside me day in and day out bearing witness. And I do the same for them, we bear witness to each other. That’s what it is to walk another home. To what home do we go? I don’t know, but the right mix of people bearing witness to one another can figure it out right?
A wise man recently said “think local, its global” he couldn’t be more right (to which I might add Camelot has always been and shall remain a state of mind). Each and every one of us has the power to change things for the better. It starts within us and spreads out. If we want the world to be more loving, we must become more loving ourselves. Love is revolutionary that way. Wanna change the world? Heck yeah, let’s do this! Me I’m going to keep showing up, backpack in hand (mine is filled with tissues, flashlights, love notes that I leave in random places for strangers to find, and snacks, one should always have snacks) and bear witness to family, friends and strangers alike. This is what I can do, right here, right now. Love is the answer and I still believe it can make a difference. Hmmm. Maybe my Pollyanna like view of the world lives on after all...