Aspects of Being

Gabrielle Perreault

There's a song by Bruce Springsteen, the chorus lamenting, "Everybody's got a hungry heart!". Of course, before the chorus he declares, "We fell in love - I knew it had to end..." This, to me, implies that he's not quite sure what he's hungry for, and I've often wondered if that is not indeed the crux of some of the dilemmas we find ourselves in when it comes to relationships....The lure of "Finding The One" is beyond intoxicating, and we are certainly encouraged to pursue this ideal. Whether it's for "the perfect mother (or father,)" a trophy beauty, "Mr. or Mrs. Right," or the longing for our one true Soul Mate, this search drives many of us - often to distraction.

There are countless books and articles written and consumed, as well as a myriad of talk shows on the air, about relationships, about love and intimacy, and oh, how we invite them into our living, attentive as we digest this guiding information. Of course, let's not forget the role that advertising has played in our quest - images of Beautiful People getting what we're all 'supposed' to get - if not our soul mate, then at least a rewarding measure of leering attention, and participating in the age-old "thrill of the chase." Is this not the lowest common denominator to which we succumb? Our children are subjected and exposed to these tactics at a younger and younger age, and if we ourselves do not know how to discern between a heartfelt longing and a passing urge, how will they? What colossal irony that a culture that is so uncomfortable with sex will, however, turn a myopic eye away from how inundated we all are by the media, feeding not only our insatiable economy, but also our egos!

If we do not know what truth and sharing mean to us, it cannot easily make itself known, though we may feel something is distinctly "missing." If we do not feel comfortable with ourselves, then dropping our facades before another will be an impossible task to perform, despite our longing to "be ourselves." If we do not know what we want, we can often end up with something less than desirable. Yet if we believe we know what we want, do we know why we in fact desire it?

This longing for Connection may be seen as a gift, or it can be seen as a goal - and we are indeed a driven, goal-oriented lot! It can, of course, satisfy a deep yearning - perhaps it's cosmic transcendence we seek, our accessible foray into the Mystical. Or is it merely the root of our DNA's function to override all else in order to insure that procreation takes place? Is it The Divine manifesting in us the deep desire for earthly intimacy, reaching however, into all planes and parts of our being? Did our culture once ingrain in us that we are not "complete" without another? Or does it simply validate our desirability.....and are we still worthy if we cannot conjure this one latter aspect?

If it is a gift, then all these things are true, and the answers are all yes - the multi-faceted and rich tapestry of our human dimensions and experiences, in glory or in folly, perhaps being the truest gift of all....begging exploration with honesty and integrity......
 
 

Touch ~

For all you have and want to give;
When words that fail have will to live;
When illusions fall, or there are none at all,
when there's someone out there to be reached ~

Touch.

When there just aren't anymore tears to cry;
When you're weary of feeling alone inside;
When you feel with your heart instead of your mind
is the time to touch and to feel alive.....

To Touch....
your skin and feel your heart beat,
to cling, or to comfort, or for souls to meet,
the power of touch never stops filling needs,
and the power's all there if it weren't for the fear

of touch ~

to lie naked and bared before seeking eyes,
or to feel that your love is not recognized.
But trust is part of it,
and truly the art of it
is simply to reach out and 
touch.........