The Cold Truth

The world is a revolving door. People come and go from our lives all the time, some staying longer than others of course, and some you miss more. Many of my dearest friends live states away and I see them only a few times a year. My friend Amy is shipping off to Iraq on Sunday. I promised her I would imagine her there every day. And she'll return only to move to Hawaii. My son Fisher was missing is father the other night, crying into his bigfoot doll. I told him it's okay to miss people because it means he has a big heart, it means there is a lot of love in him. And then to give his heart purpose I told him to imagine that every time he misses his dad a bird will carry that message, swooping nearby and chirping in his father's ear. And then his father will know it's really the song of Fisher and he will sense his love. If only making the words of the loss in our hearts known were that simple. More and more I'm realizing one can only rely on themselves. With all the coming and going in our lives we can't expect attachment, can't assume people will stick by us no matter how hard we want to believe. No wonder the world can be such a lonely place--though we are surrounded by so many faces when it comes down to it we don't have a hold on anyone. The sooner we realize nobody has our back but us, the better we'll be.