A while back I read a story of a lovely soul wandering up and down the beach, flinging starfish back into the sea. He recognized how they required water to survive. Starfish have gills. Removed from the sea, they will soon perish.
When we feel bereft, lost and lonely, we yearn for a connection. There's a deep-rooted need to breathe in that universal source of love, to provide us nourishment, to help us survive.
A soft smile, a kind word, a shared glance, a helping hand. We are the universe in motion. We are both the fragile starfish and the vast ocean.
When I pause in the thundering rain and offer to return someone's shopping cart, I can feel the surge of loving waves within my soul. When a stranger waits that extra moment just to hold the door open for me, I bask in the love as the waves roll back to me.
We all have our vulnerabilities. Times when we feel helpless, overwhelmed. When a hand gently reaches towards our hearts to remind us that love is Here, we are healed. It is a gift, never an obligation, which makes the love that much sweeter.
As Baba Ram Dass said, "We're all just walking each other home."