December 14

LOVE MONTH: DAY 14: “Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other.” — Rainer Maria Rilke

We are all “solitudes” in this world. Our egos tell us we are separate, different, and disconnected from each other. We do this recovery thing, and in the process, we are given spiritual gifts of insight and connection.

Some of us are more challenged to find this. I am like that. I have no family I am part of, and have not for many years. No children, no partner, just me. So, I become isolated and self-sufficient. Actually, I have always been this way.

Add to that my penchant for moving around. I have moved 27 times in 31 years. That is a lot of moving. And I have changed my homegroups and meetings nearly that often. I stay in touch with a lot of my friends in the fellowship(s), but I don’t see them all the time like I would if I still attended meetings with them. So, I have to force myself to connect at the heart with people.

I tell others, and have for years that I am “terminally single” and “fatally independent.” This is always true for me. And the challenge is to connect deeply with those with whom I interface. So, I have a small posse I am connected with, and I remain attached to them.

The posse shifts and changes over the years. We drift apart or become disconnected through this process of life. New people come into the picture, and others move on to make room for the new ones. It is all an ebb and flow, of love and energy and purpose and connection.

It just isn’t traditional. And each of the people I connect with allows this “Two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other” thing to take place.

We do this in meetings and with each other in recovery. We may want to keep it like that with some people, I know I do. But it isn’t the way of the world. Or the way of the Universe.

Shifting is all around us, it is the only constant in this Universe. So, we have to remain fluid and flexible in order to live in the flow of energy that is our journey.

But, I do really enjoy the lovely process of coming together to protect and touch and greet each other. Love is a wonderful thing! I am totally addicted to what I get here and only want more and more every day!