Stop Making Yourself Alone

I know, 2 blog posts in one day — what’s up with that?  But I’m feeling moved to write, and I’ve learned to honour the gentle nudges of the universe.  And the nudge right now is to share with you a learning from last year: nobody is ever alone.  Let me explain.

There have been many times in my life when I have felt alone.  Indeed, there have been some times when I have felt more than simply alone, I have felt completely isolated.  In recent years this is something of an occupational hazard — I work from home, self-employed — you get the picture.  But even outside of work stuff, there are moments where I feel — indeed when I tell myself — that I am in this game of life on my own, that there’s nobody in the game with me, or at least nobody in my playing zone.  Can you relate?  I’m guesing that you can.  And what I learned last year is that, the whole “I’m alone” thing is a crock — it really is.

You see, we live in a world of millions — actually billions — of people.  Therefore, unless you’re living as a hermit in the midst of the desert or the rainforest (and I will concede that this is possible), you are likely within a few minutes reach of somebody’s physical presence, if not their energetic presence (e.g., phone, internet, etc;).  Which means that you can always reach out to somebody, somewhere.  This is an important thing for you to know.  Because when times get tough or things get overwhelming, there seems to be this fairly human tendency to pull inward and withdraw, which leads to a sense of isolation — and oftentimes, being alone in these cases doesn’t serve well.  The irony of this human tendency is that it’s counter-productive.  In moments of overwhelm or difficulty, what’s often needed is the strength and company of others.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that “alone-time” is a bad thing.  Indeed there are plenty of times when a few moments of solitude can serve you really well.  It can be a chance to sort things out, regroup, get grounded.  But there does come a point where you absolutely must reach out and find the human connection that can support you in getting through whatever’s going on.  Instead of making yourself alone, it’s time to make yourself connected.

Now, I know there are some of you saying but I AM alone — people around me are too busy, my coworkers have their own things to deal with, my family doesn’t understand (besides they live too far away) and on and on.  And here’s what I want to offer you, at the risk of sounding uber-philosophical:  even when the human beings in your life seem to vanish from your presence, the universe (use whatever religious term fits for you here — God, Jesus, Spirit, Allah) is right beside you.  That’s right, the universe has got your back; erego YOU ARE NEVER ALONE, no matter what is going on for you.  For me personally, the moment when I realized this, was absolutely liberating and life-altering.  I still have moments where old patterns kick in and I try to convince myself that I’m in this on my own.  And then I remember that I’m not.  Andt he beauty is that when I remember this — when I get that at the very least the universe is in my corner (which seems a pretty big deal, actually) — then I am able to find the strength, courage and wisdom to reach out and connect with whoever is available.  Then, I’m not alone.  And that’s a good thing.  So I invite you to share in the experience of connection — stop making yourself alone.