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Posted on 7/10/2017 by Mark Hutchinson |
- Charles Dickens "We need to have intimate, enduring bonds; we need to be able to confide; we need to feel that we belong; we need to be able to get support, and just as important for happiness, to give support. We need many kinds of relationships; for one thing, we need friends." - Gretchen Rubin  Many of us like to be very independent and sometimes it’s difficult for us to accept a helping hand from others even when we really need it. Maybe it’s a belief we hold or perhaps a bit of ego floating around, but if you’ve walked enough miles on this earth you’ve probably fallen down hard at some point. When you were down and had nothing left to pull yourself up did you appreciate the support that came your way? I hope so.The support we get when we really need it is a wakeup call. It is the big, flashing sign that says “Pay attention to the impact of this action!” Can you think of a time when you were deeply touched by the support of another person? Once you’ve had that kind of experience, it becomes more difficult to ignore the needs of others. I think it helps us become more compassionate and also to develop a sense of our own power to help. This last weekend was unusually full of supporting friends and family in ways both big and small. None of it was planned and very little of our own plans came to fruition and yet it was amazing. In the depths of despair, of anger, of grief, of trepidation and isolation we were able to offer support. In the big scheme of things our invested time and energy was very small. Yet the power of that support, as we know from our own experiences, can have far reaching impacts for the recipients. Maybe the problems weren’t solved. In fact, some could not be solved. Life moves on whether you want it to or not. But by holding out a hand and saying “I’m in your corner” you can change a person’s world for the better. I think you’ll find that it does something for you too. Who needs your support this week?Have a great week! - Mark |