So Much for Self-Help!

It happened unexpectedly. One moment I was standing in the sea, riding the beautiful turquoise waves. The next moment I was being pulled down and down, caught by the powerful undertow.

Never have I experienced such power.

Never have I experienced such utter helplessness.

Then, as suddenly as it happened, it was over again.

No longer was I swirling, and being tossed by the waves. Now I was bleeding on some rough-hewn rocks, surrounded by people who were offering their help.

I still don’t really know what happened that day, or how I survived that terrifying ordeal. But what I do know is I owe my life to others who there, and who came to my aid.  

Another thing I know is that self-help couldn’t save me. I was too weak and winded to do anything. I needed other-help at that moment in time. I couldn’t save myself. I couldn’t make it on my own.

And, surely, we all know this is the essence of support. Someone reaches out, and takes hold of our hand. Someone lifts us to safety when we cannot help ourselves.

And as we look back on our lives, on the toughest darkest times, we can see how we needed other people to survive.

There was someone who was there when we’d lost the will to fight, when despair had gripped our heart, and we wanted to give up.

There was someone was there, and who gently held our pain, and who held on tight to hope when we thought all hope was gone.

The Jewish Talmud asks why we cannot cure ourselves, then it gives us an answer – one which resonates with me. It says: A prisoner is unable to release himself from jail. Instead, we need another person who will turn the key for us.

I hope there is someone who is there for you.

“To make a difference in someone’s life you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care.”  – Mandy Hale