Love Others

I believe this is why we exist, irrespective of any belief in deity. I believe we are at our best when we live our life inside out, helping others and not ourselves. It can be as simple as giving them the gift of being heard.

It is my experience that this is an area where you need to take a bit of initiative and be the one to invite a friend out to lunch, or arrange a dinner together. Rarely do I have someone decline an invitation. Having said that I also think it is important to be aware when someone is trying to politely decline.

I believe we exist within the context of our relationships. While the Tennessee Williams quotation is a favorite of mine when he said, “We are all condemned to solitary confinement inside our own skins for life,” I also think it is the relationships we have, and the quality of them that define us, and enrich our lives, and lift us.

I am an introvert. As my years have accumulated I have learned to be outgoing and engaging but I still gain energy, and recover when I am alone. When Rebecca and I are at a party I will run out of energy long before she is ready to go home. She is much more of an extrovert than I, seeming to become more energized as the evening goes on. I have learned though that I am at my best when I am in a small group, and so I seek to create those kinds of situations.

We all have a light within us that shines forth for others to see. It is the essence of what we were born with and every experience we have had, and what we have learned from it. We all can see this in each other. Most of us want to share this, the best of us, with others. Loving others gives us the chance to let them do what they most want to do, and in doing so brighten all of us.

Perhaps you have known someone like this. I know I have. I know people who can light up a room just by walking into it their light burns so brightly. I confess I am not such a person, perhaps you aren’t either, and that’s okay. We don’t have to be.

I have spent my life seeking out friendships, connections, sharing the light within, and seeking to find others willing to do the same. It is always a valuable experience, and every now and then I will come across a rare treasure, someone that I can connect with in a way that is meaningful to me and them. I believe we are at our best when we do this.