Somtimes We Rock The World And Sometimes The World Rocks Us

 Nothing is wasted, nothing is in vain: The seas roll over but the rocks remain. -Herbert, SirA(lan) P(atrick)
c.1949  From an operetta, Tough at the Top, published in My Life and Times (1970), ch.7.

Sometimes, we stand alone. Sometimes, it’s by choice; other times not. It’s possible that we stand alone on principle and don’t follow the crowd. We might distance ourselves because we need time to be alone, to think things through, to reflect about our lives. There are times that we just don’t want to be intruded upon. We might be tired or down on ourselves. We might just be shy and need to be invited and accepted into the fold. We might have been alone so long we’ve started growing moss on our souls. Sometimes, it just takes a bit of dusting off and courage to step back into those once familiar surroundings or to seek a new place to call home.

Sometimes, we feel displaced. We feel like we’ve been picked up and thrown into unfamiliar territory. We don’t fit in. We are uncomfortable. We feel topsy-turvy and out of sorts. We might be in the midst of attempting a new challenge. Or we might be a bit different from those that surround us. We long for the security of home and the warmth of friendship. Sometimes, all it takes is the right environment for our beauty to shine through.

Sometimes, we just want to be among friends. We want to fit in. We want to be accepted. We need companionship. We want to know we are loved and appreciated. Sometimes, we just don’t want to be alone. Somtimes, we need others to help us find our place in the world.

Sometimes, we are the ones holding others up. Sometimes, it takes a couple of us to hold the whole family together. And sometimes, we are the ones being lifted and held above the water. Sometimes, we just pile up and create lovely structures without even trying.

Sometimes, we feel like we’re holding the whole world in place. We feel like nothing can knock us down. We will stop at nothing to shelter those we love from danger. We’re strong enough to secure the mountain and gentle enough to embrace the wind.

Sometimes, we can’t do it alone. We have to work together to keep the storm at bay. We will roll, stack, and mold to form walls to keep unwanted forces out and to keep the fragile from slipping a way. We will hold hands and solidify our forces. Sometimes, teamwork produces staggering results.

Sometimes, we are the mountain. We are stone strong and sitting on top of the world. We provide a place to rest. We nurture the life around us. We rise towards the heavens and lift those within our reach.

Sometimes, we’ve been weathered by life and smoothed by time.  Living has created the lines and grooves that have formed and shaped us.  We’re spread out, cupping and angling at just the right places, and though we may be cracked we’re strong enough to hold it all together. We may even chip off bit by bit, but we remain steady. We like who we’ve become.  We find peace within ourselves and others find comfort with us. Sometimes, the hardest and most seemingly unyielding places are ones of greatest comfort and acquiescence.

 A Segment Of Sometimes Series