We have talked a lot about what it means to be with one another here. Henri Nouwen's Compassion and John V. Taylor's Primal Vision speak of solidarity and presence. What does it mean to pay attention to the people you are with? Turn off the electricity and do something with your hands. Shell peanuts, knit, play a board game by candle light.
The terrain here is quite rough. I wear sturdy shoes, but sometimes gravel and gravity win out over me. About an hour ago while walking to lunch, I rolled my ankle and fell down on a semi-well traversed path. My friend Kim (who was around when I seriously sprained my ankle-good thing she has had first aid training!) was with walking with me and asked if I was okay. My friend Arianna came to check on me as she saw me fall from a distance. I said I was okay to both and just needed to sit there for a minute. Then, an amazing thing happened. Arianna sat down with me. She said that she knows what it is like to be looked at when others are looking down to help you and how the passers-by feel guilty and interested. So Kim also sat.
My friend Joel drove by and asked if we were sunbathing. We said yes, of course. He mentioned we were sitting in mud (well, somewhat damp ground) and we acknowledged that yes, yes we were. It was beautiful. Arianna, Kim, and me sitting on the ground. We started talking about other things while I regained my dignity to get back up after falling like a toddler learning to walk.
This solidarity when I had literally fallen down is something I need more metaphorically in every facet of life. I think more sitting would help us all.
