125 | We're Not Meant To Walk Alone
Dear beautiful humans,
Once upon a time, there was a person who had all the answers, never needed anyone, and never lost their way … began NO STORY EVER.
I don’t know of every story ever written, but there are very few, if any, about one person and one person only who never struggled in any way. I imagine these stories are not written because these stories are not lived.
I don’t know all the research around this, but I do know we are biologically wired to need people. We need each other for many reasons.
Being with others is a way we feel connected. Relationships allow us to extend ourselves for others—it is a way for us to experience love, both in giving and receiving it. Being with others gives us a mirror in which to see ourselves. There is also a joy in not only helping and supporting the people we care about, but witnessing them and walking alongside them.
I think one of the greatest reasons we need people, is we need each other to remind ourselves about what is true when we forget.
When things get dark, we need people to remind us there is light. When we can’t see the beauty in ourselves, we need people to remind us who we are. When we lose our way, we need people to nudge us back on course.
I wrote a poem about this called “Lighthouses”:
Sometimes,
though we
may not realize it,
we offer nourishment
to others
simply with
the way we are.
Sometimes,
particularly
nasty storms come along
and push us
off course;
we lose our way
and our compass
drops deep into
a sea of doubts and fears.
In these moments,
remember to look around,
for we are never truly alone.
We are lighthouses
among lighthouses,
taking turns reminding
each other
the way home.
It’s scary to admit we need people. We want to be okay on our own. While we need to be able to take responsibility for our lives—no one can walk our path for us—we’re not meant to walk that path alone.
There have been a lot of challenges in my life the past years. Looking back, it was so much harder when I tried to handle things solely on my own. But when I invited people into my mess and struggle, I felt less alone, and somehow I felt like maybe I could handle it after all.
Think about the times you’ve been able to be there for the people you love. Aren’t you thankful they invited you in? Aren’t you glad they asked for help or support? Because you want to be there for them. This goes both ways—people also want to be there for you.
It’s human to need people in your life, and it’s an honor, joy, and privelege to be needed by someone in your life.
Here’s to all the lighthouses in our lives, near and far,
and here’s to being lighthouses for each other.
—Shel
P.S. I have a new cover song coming out this Friday, July 5th, of Maggie Rogers song “Light On”. 😃 Now available for pre-sale and pre-save here.
*** HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT ***
You may recall me talking over the years about a poetry book in the works. I'm so excited to let you know my book, "The Buried Stream", is nearing the final draft stages and will be available this fall/winter!
If you’d like to see more behind the scenes of this process, you can join my Patreon (there is a free option as well where I share a lot).
But even more exciting is that I am doing two very special printings before the final public version is available later this year.
Because you get my letters, you will get access in the coming weeks to a link to buy the Galley Proof copy.
Galley Proofs are versions publishers send out while the book is pretty much done, but hasn't gone through a final proofread (sometimes called Uncorrected Proofs). They are sent out to reviewers, etc. to generate buzz and start getting the book into people's hands. This is an advanced copy before the final version is printed, and will NEVER be printed again.
I’ll also be doing a Limited Edition First Print in the fall. This will be the final version, but I'm only printing the number that are pre-ordered. I will number every book, i.e. 1 of 50, 31 of 50, and sign and inscribe each one.
If you’d like to try out my Patreon, all Patrons with a paid membership will get a discount code for all three versions.
If you want to make sure not to miss the email for the Galley Proof copy, just respond to this email!
