Connection

My brother-in-law is extremely smart. His intellect has always amazed me and for years after he became part of the family, it also intimidated me. I'm happy to say that over the years I've discovered he's also one of the most beautiful, loving souls I've ever met. He's always coming out with these random statements, usually some fact or another that he's anxious to share. His delivery is such that half the time you don't know if what he's saying is true, or a line of BS.

On Christmas day as I was hovering over the stove I heard him say to my Dad, "Did you know that scientists have discovered that our tastebuds can only detect four flavors?" He then went on to say what they were and I'm taking a risk here because I don't recall exactly but I think he said sweet, salty, sour and spicy, but I reiterate, I'm not sure. The conversation went on from there, "So what does that tell you about people like wine and food tasters that give a whole list of flavors they say they can detect in something? It tells you they're full of shit!" I love my brother in law!

I'm not sure why, but as I thought about this conversation, I thought about human emotion and how no matter how your life story may vary from mine, we ALL go through life experiencing the same basic emotions. It's really what connects us and gives us the ability to have compassion for people we've never even met. We may experience them on different levels, but we all feel them deeply at times throughout our lives.

When I was younger, I used to spend a ridiculous amount of time gossiping about people. It just seemed like a normal thing to do. As I've gotten older, and hopefully wiser I understand what a horribly destructive pastime this is. I think it takes maturity and life experience to come to a realization like that.

"Don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes", makes so much more sense when you've gone through the ups and downs of trying to make a marriage work for many years or struggled with your weight and self image on and off your whole life or lived through the debilitating fear and pain of a child's drug addiction.

"There but for you go I", means so much more when you've sat in the doctor's office, sweaty palmed after two mammograms and an ultrasound due to a "suspicious" looking mass, and gotten the all clear, only to learn of a friend who's going to lose her breast and all of her hair to chemo because she didn't. Or feeling frustrated because you're breaking into your piggy bank for quarters to fill your gas tank, all the while knowing another check is coming Fridayand then hearing of two more friends who've lost their jobs this week.

We are all connected by the same basic emotions and it's SO important to remember that we really are only one experience away from walking in each other's shoes. One experience away from understanding each other's hearts and apparently only one taste away from experiencing the same four flavors!

xo,
Carrie