Each of us drags a luggage cart behind us, supporting our emotional baggage. While some have neatly organized carts with matching luggage, most of us have piles of mismatched suitcases, mysterious vials, and garbage bags of things we should have tossed long ago. For some the cart is falling apart with one wonky wheel making the cart an effort to pull along, the contents slipping and falling off at every turn. For others, at least in appearance, the cart is neatly oiled and in good repair making its carriage effortless. I think most fall somewhere in between.
We must recognize that we each have a cart and that no two carts contain the exact same things. And while we cannot grab hold and wheel someone else’s along, we can walk alongside one another. We can support each other when the terrain gets rocky. We can listen wholeheartedly. And just as we cannot take hold of another cart, we cannot expect someone to take over and pull ours along. For after all, as Ram Dass says, we’re all just walking each other home.
I’m adding a new suitcase this year. I imagine it well worn but strong. It contains the big lessons I learned in 2018. They were difficult to come by but valuable beyond measure. This new little valise perches on the top of my cart so I can easily retrieve and open it when my own terrain gets rocky.