You are here!

I love those maps, don’t you? There is no judgement, question, or explaining how you got there; just the simple fact of your location. You are where you are regardless of what came before or what comes next.

Do you know where you are? Are you where you want to be? If you can stop for a moment and evaluate where you are and get your bearings you are giving yourself a great gift. You have slowed down enough to pin point your location and take a look at the map to figure out if it is where you want to be. Once you have established the location of your big red dot ask yourself “Where am I headed? Should I change direction by just a little or a lot or not at all? Are there others headed in the same direction I am?”

The last question is hugely important: are there others headed in the same direction? Having companions along the way to talk to or just know they are there makes the trip easier. Any issue or circumstance you share with another person seems less difficult or scary. Knowing you are not alone feeds our inner animal that longs to be a member of the pack.

So many of us believe that we are the only ones in our spot or headed where we are headed. Because we believe we are the only ones, we travel alone. Well, the chances of you being in a place no one else has ever been or having an experience no one else has ever had is next to zero. Most likely you are not the first or the last.

Is it in the dictionary?

Divorce, breaking up, aging parents, loss of a loved one, bankruptcy, cancer, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD, addiction, rehab, recovery from physical injury, moving to a new place alone, starting a business, becoming a parent, dementia, caring for someone with dementia, trans gender, sexual orientation and sexual curiosity and on and on. These all have names and definitions. Therefore, by default, they have been experienced by many people, otherwise there would not be a name for it. So why is it when we are experiencing any of these we are convinced we are the only ones. We are convinced no one will understand. If you can name it you are not the first to travel that path. Which is great news. That means someone (or many people) can understand where you are and what you are going through. In other words, you are not alone.

Take a look around, see where you are, where you want to go and who you can travel with. You’ve got this!