Dependence

The first time I truly digested the reality of my place in the universe, I was crushed. The metaphor that drove this home compared a human being to a single grain of sand. Each person was a unit, and the units were endless. This, I hated. The determination to unhinge this theory consumed me. I would change the spin of the globe, be remembered, become outstanding. I would be significant.

Thank God, I am over that!

If this Marlise could visit with that Marlise, I would reassure her with a new metaphor. A puzzle. (Yes, I did pay my dues in kindergarten.) As long as I (emphasis on “I”) am choosing the metaphor, let’s make it a three-dimensional puzzle.

A puzzle? Each piece is different; each is essential. Each has a unique shape and pattern. Each has purpose. We support one another; we hold each other up. We are intertwined. We touch. We are all needed to make the whole, and when any piece is missing, we are all incomplete. Sometimes there is joy, sometimes pain; but, always we are together. This comforts me.

The burden of ‘outstanding’ has been lifted. I do not have to be the fastest, prettiest, smartest, strongest, boldest, wealthiest . . . I simply have to be kind and allow others to share these.

This is what I would tell that Marlise . . . but . . . she would not be ready to listen.