You are you, and I am I.

Connection – searching for meaning

Age, occupation, interests, culture, and religion. We use all of these or none of these to connect to another. As curious, social beings we instinctively gravitate towards making contact, finding love in many forms, and searching for meaning.

Death is certain

Despite this, we are born alone, and we must die alone, the only thing certain in life is death. Depending on your perspective contemplating this can be debilitating or liberating. Dr Irvin Yalom recognises through his work with cancer patients that being so acutely aware of the end drives people to live in the now. Within this there is a challenge, to embrace this mindset before there is illness, diagnosis, or prognosis. Keep the end in mind to drive you to do more, to think more, to feel more. Keep the end in mind to focus on your own life process, to let go of the expectations you have of yourself and of others. There is almost nothing you can do about the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others but you can control you and now is the time.

You are you, and I am I

Daughter, sister, friend, colleague, wife. As we go through our own life process, making contact, finding love, searching for meaning, there are but 23 words first uttered by Fritz Perls to remember, You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it’s beautiful. If not, it can’t be helped.