A sense of touch.
Its been a weekend of touch. A weekend of touching. Touching lives. Touching hearts.
Touching hearts, touching lives. Did I go to church this weekend? No. Unfortunately I've been completely swamped with work this weekend. My days have been spent pouring over my books and writing, and getting some long promised design work done. And my nights have been spent, this weekend specifically, helping my dearest friends.
Touch. We so take it for granted. The feel of another. Not necessarily in a sexual manner, just as one human touching another human, its like a confirmation of presence. Why do we fear ghosts? What makes a "ghost" a ghost? One big factor is the lack of presence, of physical presence. When I lean over and touch someone, when I give someone a hug, what am I doing? Well, besides comfort or greeting, I'm acknowledging my presence. I'm essentially saying, here I am, I'm real and tangible. Something else touch confirms. Realness, humanness. Tangibility, touch also confirms life. Whats normally a factor in touch? Temperature. Warmth. Laying next to someone, you feel heat, warmth. Warmth is comforting. Someone who is dead, is cold, lifeless, they lack heat. When I hug you I'm also confirming my humanness. Touch, warmth, this implies physicality. It acknowledges that I'm physical, and everything that is physical can be destroyed. My warmth can turn to cold at any moment. When I touch someone its showing them that I'm there, and that I'm real, and that I'm physical.
I say this because as I've said, this weekend has been a weekend where I've been called on to be present. My presence was important this weekend to several of my friends who have experienced some real hell recently. I grieve for them. I've been called at 3am this weekend to talk, to sleep on the phone with someone who has been hurt beyond measure. I've been called to be present with someone whose loneliness is slowly eating away at their very soul. I've been called to be present to sit and listen. Its a gift. Everyone who meets me seems to love the fact that I listen. That I don't proffer advice right off the bat. And that I'm not one to say, oh, well, that's life. I sympathize, I feel hurt when others are hurting. I recognize that sometimes someone needs to hear very specific things, not something sugarcoated or a white lie. No. Sometimes someone needs to hear that I care. That their situation pains me, that I'm sorry this happened, but that things are going to get better. Listening is great, it solves problems, most of the time, I find myself simply being a wall someone else can bounce something off of, to put into words a problem and to hear it and see the solution for themselves. I was meerly there because they weren't comfortable talking to the mirror. Which, by the way, helps sometimes. Listening has its benefits. But this weekend, this weekend was about touch. About presence.
I'm definitely a physical person. Talking, listening, these things are things I'm best at. But to truly make a mark, to truly bring an impression, touch matters to me. My friends know I love hugs. I'm really shy, so giving is usually not my deal, but when I get a hug, its great. With my friends usually its a matter of going outside and laying in the grass of the backyard at 12am and looking at the stars and talking. Its that presence that isn't there on the phone. It seems crazy. Most of you who know me know I'm a night owl. My best work, my best self seems to emerge at night. I'm one to stay up until the wee hours of the morning talking something through because it seems to be clearer then. Its important to me, physical presence. My friends joke that I'm a seeker. I'm one to call them when they're having a crappy day and just want to stay in bed, I'm the girl that sends them 6 text messages to tell them that if they don't answer, I'm showing up weather they're in boxers or not. Its my personality. I enjoy the presence of others. My best work is done alone, when I have time spent creating and producing on my own. But my best self, the best times in my life have been when I'm in the presence of my friends. Of people I love and care about. So don't freak out when I send you text messages all day. Its me letting you know that someone was thinking about you and that your important to me. Its not me being stalker girl, its, oh, Jamies retarded, she sent me something funny while I was in class. Its something to get you through tough days or happy days. I love making people smile. I don't expect anything in return. I just like people to know that they're important.
It brings me to a message I heard from Louie Giglio tonight during my quiet time. It was on the subject of being touched by heaven. Showing the world that we are love. Showing people that we care, that we are touched by something so much greater than ourselves. Isn't that what life is about? Turning the life you've been given, which you got for free by the way, and for a purpose, and turning it into something greater? Its classic economics. Something gotten for free, with investment, will turn over a profit later. Taking your life, investing something in it, and making it better is something that makes sense. What makes even more sense? What shows even more greatness? Taking something you've been given, and touching someone Else's life with it. Showing that you care by touching someone else. The people that mean the world to me know how much I love them, how much I care because they know that I desire to be in their presence. I call to hang out because I desire to spend my time with those that I care about, I choose to invest my time, my sense of touch, of presence with those who mean a great deal to me. Its something that means the world to me.
Touch, touching lives. Its something that we should all take part in. It should shatter our hearts to see some of the things in the world. Alot of the things in the world actually. One person Louie brought up was Bono, who, as most of my friends know, its crush number 1. He talked about how Bono went down to Africa and was just broken by the poverty he saw there. Think though, he didn't sit idly by, no he started One Campaign, as most of you know I'm very active in this as well. Its our job, Christian and human alike to care for our fellow humans. What is life if its not given in service to another? Self service is short lived and never satisfying, but service to another. The thanks alone is worth the endeavor.
All this is to say, I guess, let your heart be shattered for someone else. Reach out. Its completely healthy to disconnect for awhile, to get back to your true center, but beyond that. Let your heart be broken for someone. Let tears fall for the beautiful, and for the painful. Because, in the end, this life is all we have, to use it to better the world is something that brings light to a dark place. Be a light.
Touching hearts, touching lives. Did I go to church this weekend? No. Unfortunately I've been completely swamped with work this weekend. My days have been spent pouring over my books and writing, and getting some long promised design work done. And my nights have been spent, this weekend specifically, helping my dearest friends.
Touch. We so take it for granted. The feel of another. Not necessarily in a sexual manner, just as one human touching another human, its like a confirmation of presence. Why do we fear ghosts? What makes a "ghost" a ghost? One big factor is the lack of presence, of physical presence. When I lean over and touch someone, when I give someone a hug, what am I doing? Well, besides comfort or greeting, I'm acknowledging my presence. I'm essentially saying, here I am, I'm real and tangible. Something else touch confirms. Realness, humanness. Tangibility, touch also confirms life. Whats normally a factor in touch? Temperature. Warmth. Laying next to someone, you feel heat, warmth. Warmth is comforting. Someone who is dead, is cold, lifeless, they lack heat. When I hug you I'm also confirming my humanness. Touch, warmth, this implies physicality. It acknowledges that I'm physical, and everything that is physical can be destroyed. My warmth can turn to cold at any moment. When I touch someone its showing them that I'm there, and that I'm real, and that I'm physical.
I say this because as I've said, this weekend has been a weekend where I've been called on to be present. My presence was important this weekend to several of my friends who have experienced some real hell recently. I grieve for them. I've been called at 3am this weekend to talk, to sleep on the phone with someone who has been hurt beyond measure. I've been called to be present with someone whose loneliness is slowly eating away at their very soul. I've been called to be present to sit and listen. Its a gift. Everyone who meets me seems to love the fact that I listen. That I don't proffer advice right off the bat. And that I'm not one to say, oh, well, that's life. I sympathize, I feel hurt when others are hurting. I recognize that sometimes someone needs to hear very specific things, not something sugarcoated or a white lie. No. Sometimes someone needs to hear that I care. That their situation pains me, that I'm sorry this happened, but that things are going to get better. Listening is great, it solves problems, most of the time, I find myself simply being a wall someone else can bounce something off of, to put into words a problem and to hear it and see the solution for themselves. I was meerly there because they weren't comfortable talking to the mirror. Which, by the way, helps sometimes. Listening has its benefits. But this weekend, this weekend was about touch. About presence.
I'm definitely a physical person. Talking, listening, these things are things I'm best at. But to truly make a mark, to truly bring an impression, touch matters to me. My friends know I love hugs. I'm really shy, so giving is usually not my deal, but when I get a hug, its great. With my friends usually its a matter of going outside and laying in the grass of the backyard at 12am and looking at the stars and talking. Its that presence that isn't there on the phone. It seems crazy. Most of you who know me know I'm a night owl. My best work, my best self seems to emerge at night. I'm one to stay up until the wee hours of the morning talking something through because it seems to be clearer then. Its important to me, physical presence. My friends joke that I'm a seeker. I'm one to call them when they're having a crappy day and just want to stay in bed, I'm the girl that sends them 6 text messages to tell them that if they don't answer, I'm showing up weather they're in boxers or not. Its my personality. I enjoy the presence of others. My best work is done alone, when I have time spent creating and producing on my own. But my best self, the best times in my life have been when I'm in the presence of my friends. Of people I love and care about. So don't freak out when I send you text messages all day. Its me letting you know that someone was thinking about you and that your important to me. Its not me being stalker girl, its, oh, Jamies retarded, she sent me something funny while I was in class. Its something to get you through tough days or happy days. I love making people smile. I don't expect anything in return. I just like people to know that they're important.
It brings me to a message I heard from Louie Giglio tonight during my quiet time. It was on the subject of being touched by heaven. Showing the world that we are love. Showing people that we care, that we are touched by something so much greater than ourselves. Isn't that what life is about? Turning the life you've been given, which you got for free by the way, and for a purpose, and turning it into something greater? Its classic economics. Something gotten for free, with investment, will turn over a profit later. Taking your life, investing something in it, and making it better is something that makes sense. What makes even more sense? What shows even more greatness? Taking something you've been given, and touching someone Else's life with it. Showing that you care by touching someone else. The people that mean the world to me know how much I love them, how much I care because they know that I desire to be in their presence. I call to hang out because I desire to spend my time with those that I care about, I choose to invest my time, my sense of touch, of presence with those who mean a great deal to me. Its something that means the world to me.
Touch, touching lives. Its something that we should all take part in. It should shatter our hearts to see some of the things in the world. Alot of the things in the world actually. One person Louie brought up was Bono, who, as most of my friends know, its crush number 1. He talked about how Bono went down to Africa and was just broken by the poverty he saw there. Think though, he didn't sit idly by, no he started One Campaign, as most of you know I'm very active in this as well. Its our job, Christian and human alike to care for our fellow humans. What is life if its not given in service to another? Self service is short lived and never satisfying, but service to another. The thanks alone is worth the endeavor.
All this is to say, I guess, let your heart be shattered for someone else. Reach out. Its completely healthy to disconnect for awhile, to get back to your true center, but beyond that. Let your heart be broken for someone. Let tears fall for the beautiful, and for the painful. Because, in the end, this life is all we have, to use it to better the world is something that brings light to a dark place. Be a light.
posted by Jamie | 10:31 PM
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