The ecstasy of sharing lived experience

Human beings bond over all sorts of things. Shallow and deep. Fleeting and solid. High-brow and low. We are social creatures constantly sending out hyphae in all directions, to see who else is out there with whom to share a piece of this life.

One possibility this offers is the deep, subdued ecstasy of meeting someone who has lived through what you have lived, or are currently living, through. Spending time with friends and family is lovely; we stand to benefit from doing more of that. But sometimes our close ones can’t relate with a meaningful-to-us experience. This can feel alienating, hollowing.

Sometimes that person with whom you share a deep connection is an acquaintance or a stranger, a smiling face at the pottery studio, someone loosely connected to us, or a person who has just entered our lives and with whom a budding friendship is unfolding.

Suddenly, a magical encounter. Sharing that experience that others, even those closest to you, don’t quite get, is a wonderful, wonderful feeling.

Stay hungry, stay vulnerable.