Helping Each Other

What we all really need.

Ernest Hemingway wrote: “In our darkest moments, we don’t need solutions or advice. What we crave is simply human connection: a silent presence, a gentle touch. These small gestures are the anchors that hold us strong when life seems too much.”

This is how we can help each other when life seems too much, as it often does these days. He added, “Please don’t try to fix me. Don’t take on my pain or throw away my shadows. Just sit by me while I work through my own internal storms. Be the steady head that I can reach for as I find my way.”

Who can you reach for when you need this kind of help? And who can reach for you?

We lose friends as we age. Some of them drift away, some pass away. Loneliness can set in, as we find ourselves increasingly isolated, preoccupied with health issues and questions about our mortality. What’s the best medicine for us? Probably helping someone else. Hemingway concludes:

“Your silent support is the most precious gift you can give. It’s a love that helps me remember who I am, even when I forget.”

Every morning I meditate on my friends. I breathe in gratitude and I breath out compassion and love, thinking of one friend after another, offering that kind of silent support. I encourage you to do the same, in your own way. Your blessings will be received and felt, even if you or your recipients never connect the quantum dots.

Love is the ultimate unrestrained force in the cosmos.