When someone we love is in trouble, we can't help but want to step up. Maybe they are adrift from a recent loss or transition. They may have laid their compass down on a rock and journeyed ahead, not missing it until night began to fall and the terrain was unfamiliar. Maybe, like me, they became lost in the busy world of being so many things to others that they forgot to be something to themselves.
Man, I love helping out. There is nothing more fulfilling than being able to lend a hand when it's really needed, to know what it feels like to make a difference.
It brings to mind a trip last winter to West Virginia. I was traveling alone and contemplating the emotional meeting ahead with my son and half listening to a flight attendant explain the safety features of the aircraft: 'In the event of an emergency, if the oxygen masks drop from the overhead ceiling compartment, adjust your own mask first before assisting others'...
Hey, wait up.
We assist ourselves first? What an amazing concept. In the simple gesture of adjusting the mask over our nose and mouth and taking in fresh air, we increase our chances of helping others. Could it really be that simple?
When we nourish and focus our bodies with exercise, stretch our hearts with compassion and humanity and sharpen our minds with education, travel and philosophy, we gain a foothold in solid bedrock. What a great spot from which to toss a line just within someone's grasp and haul them ashore.
NMcC
What a profound truth that is. Stereotypically, we are providers, and women are nurturers. Think about the similarities there -- in both roles, our focus is others.
ReplyDeleteBut the truth is this: We can be neither providers nor nurturers if we don't provide for and nurture our own selves. When I see mother nursing her baby at her bosom, I think that the reason her breast is round, full, beautiful is because of it filled with nourishment. It got that way, because the woman herself was nourished. What a wonderful metaphor for all the other aspects of our lives -- not just the physical, but the emotional, mental, and spiritual as well!