There are some things in life that happen many times, over and over. There are some things in life that happen only once. There are some people in life who we make a point to see frequently. Those people are our families and friends. We typically see them on a regular basis, and even if not frequently, these people are held dear to our hearts.
Things come and go, but they are just ‘things’. Much of today’s American society is caught up in an upward spiral of materialism. Not good. Often the same individuals see others in life just as disposable as material goods in current possession. Talk about disposable.
Fortunately modern day society has opened its eyes to the problem of disposal, and is now much more aware of the long term impact of accumulated disposed products and ‘goods’.
A book I read some years ago penned this opening sentence, “It’s not about you”. Although I read the book in its entirety, that opening line was almost enough. It’s not about you. It’s not about me either.
It’s not about you. Think about it. Yes, humbling or at least it should be.
During our lifetime, there are some people who drift in, and others who drift out. Sometimes that is a good thing, and sometimes it is not. Those that drift in are those we meet by happenstance. A new acquaintance, yet still in the ‘drifter’ category until a level of significance is determined. Even then we may choose to drift those individuals out of our lives. No worry.
The people we bring into our lives are those we make a conscious effort to allow and show vulnerability. An understanding that extends beyond superficial acquaintanceship. Bringing someone into our lives is something we do by choice. It doesn’t merely ‘happen’ to us. We make that choice. We are proactive in the process. We willingly allow some, or all of our facade to become transparent so that these people see who we really are.
The people we bring into our lives are the ones we are hurt most when they are gone. Gone, as in no longer in our physical realm but never gone in the fabric of our being.
It’s not about me, it’s about those who made me.
Those who made me are the people who I have willingly brought into my life. The convoluted tangled web of my being is intertwined with the convoluted tangled web of my family, my friends, those whom I love. It matters big time if we can reach out and touch these people, but sometimes we cannot. That doesn’t change who I am and it doesn’t change who you are either. It’s not about us, it’s about the impact we make on those around us, and the impact others have made on us. Love.
For my pal Grant 5/14/06 – 1/8/20
Petdad 