I am a collage of you - you make up parts of me

From www.wikipedia.com
Collage: an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. The term collage derives from the French "coller" meaning "glue".


The idea that you make up parts of me has been floating around in my brain for a few days - I even started thinking about how there's truth to that in the literal sense. Quantum physics tells us we are part of each other at a molecular level - we all share energy.

Sara F. must have "heard" my brain working because I got an email from her today explaining how she connected with one of my blogs. That email made me laugh because it reminded me of this topic again.

Sara has been in my life since junior high. She's been brave enough to challenge and confront me, but she's done it in a way that I've always felt fiercely supported. So many things would be different if she wasn't part of me.


Then there's Amanda V. She gives me an entirely new world view - a view that I would never come to on my own - about fun, responsibility, blooming, friendship. So many things would be different if she wasn't part of me.

Heather S. She allows me to be me. Unjudged. So many things would be different if she wasn't part of me.

Oh, then there's Dave S. I sometimes think Dave is talking about someone else when he talks about me but then he presents data because he knows that I'd be swayed by data in any other situation and I'm forced to admit he's right. So many things would be different if he wasn't part of me.


Tracy M.- in & out of my life, but yet always there and certain to be a piece of the puzzle in the future. So many things would be different if she wasn't part of me.

9/22 - I had to edit this and add Mark. Mark has given me the brother I never had. He's an unlikely friend, a consistent presence of humor, pondering and connection (picking up where we left off). So many things would be different if he wasn't part of me.


And now I'm overwhelmed because I could keep going and going, listing people. It makes me think of Missy's website www.50letters.com. (Missy is also part of me - she's shown me that sometimes you have to just jump)

There's all the likely sources, my parents, my sister, my kids and so on but then there's the unlikely sources.......it's surprising how they can end up being important to who I am.

• There's the person that smiled at me in the grocery store and reminded me that we have a choice to walk through life disengaged or disarmed.
• There's Jeff F. - a hallway conversation about my belief that people are "dots" in my life that will be connected at the end to make the picture of my life - he pointed out that my "dots" should be pixels.
• There's my fellow passenger on the plane last week, who summed up our conversation by saying, "It's nice to hear your story because it's a reminder that we are all just in different parts of our lives and it's ok to make mistakes."
• There's Fred B, who I've never met, but taught me what a facilitator was.

It only takes one moment to change me.

Listen to what Virgina Satir  says about the importance about our interactions with each other. Give it 3 min 45 seconds & ignore the cheesy voice & the fact that she's talking about therapists. We're all therapists, teachers, facilitators. (Thank you, Michele K.- whose facebook posts continually remind and teach me.)
 
There have been people that have been toxic and they have served to remind me that I can choose to believe in myself or I can be detoured by them.


There have been people that have been supportive and they have served to remind me that I can choose to believe in myself or I can be detoured by others.

(Then there's Tom M. who has reminded me that time in the lunch line is well spent. It's like "windshield time.")