LEAN ON ME

After the giddiness of the velada subsided, life went on for most of us. And life did happen, as it always does, including the heartaches, the headaches, the pressures of daily life, the illness and aches that plague our tired bodies. Death comes: to a child, to a brother, to a mother, to a friend, to a loved one. But new life has also come, some of us have found themselves happily infanticipating; some of us found romance and love, marriage, new careers; new beginnings.

The beautiful thing about having the opportunity and experience to connect with each other once again, whether at the velada or not, even if only in cyberspace, is that no matter where you are in life, you realize that you are no longer alone. Somehow, some of the loneliness has been assuaged, some of the heartache has been massaged out by laughter, some of the anxiety forgotten with the gift of new memories.

If at one point in time you felt that you were walking, trudging the path all by yourself, now you have company. Someone came back into your life, and simply slipped their hand in yours, wrapped their arms around you, and now, you are no longer alone.

The friends of our "days of innocence" are back. Our lives may no longer be simple, our concerns no longer trivial, but look around you, you are not alone. We may all have travelled different roads, different journeys, but today we meet again, and we have all come to the same crossroad. We may go take different paths again, eventually, but for now, we are surrounded by friends, and friendships, and ties that bind. We are no longer alone.

So yes, life happens. But you need not be alone. Lean on me, lean on your friends.

To those of us who can, reach out and invite a friend to take some respite with you, with your love, with your support, with your laughter.
For those of us who need to take a break, find some solace. Don't be shy, don't be afraid. One day, I will need to lean on you too.

But for now, just lean on me, lean on us. We've got your back.