You Can Pretend

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." -Helen Keller

Simply put, you can put yourself alone out on the edge of a cliff and wait. You can sit there hoping that the world will fill in before you. It is a very lonely existence to be there on your own, no connections, and no one to keep you from falling over the edge.

It is connection to others which is a key thing here. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines connection as, "the act of connecting, the state of being connected, as a casual or logical relation or sequence (the connection between two ideas); a person connected with another especially by marriage, kinship, or common interest."

So it takes two or more people for this connection to occur. To stand out on a ledge and hope someone will grab hold will require a connection. To have a friendship with anyone or anything will require a connection. To live your best life will require a connection.

But how do connections become established? Do they just happen? Do they magically appear between two people?

No, connection requires at the very least one person making an effort to connect. The other person needs to respond and reciprocate to complete this joining of two people. The problem is that many times neither side is willing to put their hand out first.

Standing on the edge of being alone, you have to turn and face away from that edge. You have to be willing to look to where others are standing. We know from the laws of physics that people are not floating out in mid-air. So we have to turn and reach out to where others are.

Those of us standing back away from that edge have to be responsible for making the connection also. We can tell ourselves "no way, that person is much too close to the edge. I'm not going out there." But as Dr. Gordon Moore has said, "You can pretend to care but you can't pretend to show up." Going out to that ledge to connect with someone whom is paralyzed by the edge is just as important.

All of us can use connection in our life. Whether it be with one person or many, it helps us live a great life. It brings meaning and purpose in to our daily existence.

You can be lonely and pretend not to want anyone else in your life. But down deep it is connection that we all desire.

You can pretend to care about those living out on the edge. But until you reach out and make the connection, it is just words.

Connect with someone today, be it the first time or the one hundreth time.