From the moment we’re born to our denouement, there are relationships. Family + coworkers, friends + neighbours, lovers + soul mates…we are tethered, however tautly or tangentially, to those in our midst. Starts in kinship, relishes shared experience, seeks mutual respect, honours trusted ground…flourishes with thoughtful investment. Rapport is free yet priceless, ubiquitous + also scarce. Whatever our position on the introversion | extroversion continuum, this connective tissue expresses volumes about what - and who - we value.
Heady stuff. Aren’t bonds supposed to be organic, elastic…impervious? Good at keeping things together while accommodating expansion + friction? Notionally, yes. Friendship is often expressed in terms of proximity: close, distant, acquaintance of… Love has a language all its own: intimacy, commitment, vulnerability, obsession…and on. Communion with others is something we furtively seek + occasionally find, meeting its entreaties with both enthusiasm + resistance.
Community is currency. Support buys confidence; shared purpose builds prosperity. Self-sustainment + individual accomplishment sound emboldening, but collaboration is the compassionate progenitor of innovation + impact.
So…how to make sense of it all? Is there a universal gesture of unity?
Indeed: holding hands.
The act of reaching out + intertwining fingers represents affection amplified. An expression of engagement. The conveyance of solidarity. Admission of vulnerability. Reinforcement of belonging. We hold hands with children to keep them safe; shake hands when greeting + deal sealing; extend a hand where help is needed. In this simple gesture, power dynamics distill into a landscape of reciprocity. We meet one another where we are + step forward together.
Unite: be open to life’s opportunities. Say yes to initiatives that challenge + inspire in equitable measure. Offer your gifts enthusiastically + bountifully. Remain curious, humble + grateful. Smile profusely + gripe only after several deep breaths.
Life reflects the intrepid beauty of its constituents. Our task is not to make sense of it all; rather, we ought to greet each new day with a spirit of hopeful, collective imagination. Learning is growth + caring means doing. But the greater, inclusive, sustainable good can only be realized when hands are held + ideas get shared + diversity is celebrated.
Reach out. Seek engagement. Effect change. Take care.
And keep holding hands :)