On Friday, while Brad and I waited in the hospital room for Ryder to get out of surgery, I tried to change the channel on the TV. Suddenly, one of the nurses came rushing in, saying, “Your call light is on – can I help you??” Clearly, I’d hit the wrong button {ack!}. But gosh – it was such a comfort to know there was someone willing and able to be there for us at a moment’s notice.
As I sat there, I thought about how much we all need people in our lives whom we know will respond when our call lights flicker. People who don’t think less of us – but rather think more of us – for revealing our raw emotions, our deepest fears, our vulnerabilities. People who know just how to answer our call, lifting us up and helping us through.
It’s equally important that these trusted friends and family members are on-call to support and celebrate our passions and achievements. Have you ever had a buddy who’s happy to commiserate with you when you’re down in the dumps…but practically disappears when you have good things to celebrate? Those are cave dwellers; you need heart healers and dream catchers.
We all need confidants who respond to our call lights {even when we don’t realize they’re on!}, whether we need a hand to hold or a high-five. But to expect that from others, we must be that for others. I feel so honored when a friend lets me in to her dark places and trusts me with her heart. Same goes for when she feels comfortable enough to share her victories and trusts me with her dreams.
It’s okay, I now know, if these rich connections don’t last forever. Like nurses take shifts at the hospital, I believe people move in and out of our lives with perfect timing – with needs and abilities that sync up with our own at just the right time. I think of dear friends from many years ago whom I thought had betrayed me or changed without warning; now I realize a necessary shift occurred, allowing us to make room for whomever and whatever was meant to come next.
I believe there is always someone standing by for us, watching for our call light, as long as our hearts are open enough to let them in.
