Meeting People Where They Are

I'd love to make all people happy if I could. Energetically, that's just not possible for me to do. It's not even advisable, becuase then I would be denying those people their own opportunities to bring about their own healing. So, instead, I softly offer of myself what I can easily and joyfully offer.

Recently, I knew a person was struggling emotionally. I had to really think about how much I was going to reach out, though. If I'm not careful in how I help people, then I will drain my own reserves. I decided that I had a physical resource that I could share with this person. It was a healing food. When I delivered it, the person was at such a low energy level, her body was seated on the ground, and she was slouching downward.

Because I know that when people are at low points in their lives and I am able to help, it can be helpful for me to physically meet them where they are and see if what I have to offer can help them move at least one degree away from their low point. Barrowing from the tactic that I used when making prey animals feel more comfortable, I lowered my body and eyes even closer to the ground than that person's was. We had an hour long conversation while in that pose. By the end, I think that person felt just a little more connected in a world where she had been feeling very alone.

The point of this story is that we have to meet people where they are in our lives and softly offer what we can of ourselves in case they are able to use that connection to bring about their own healing. I believe that we are our own rescuers and can't do the saving work for other people. We have to be aware of where we are emotionally and meet ourselves there, and then guide our own selves to a place of more healing. Pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps is tremendously hard work, but we can, and must, do it.