Connection

CONNECTION

Relationships, human touch, family, community, compassion...all of these things are a part of one of our greatest needs as human beings, the need for connection.  Each and every one of us carries this need, whether we really know it or not.  It’s in our genes; it’s imprinted in us and has been since the beginning of time.

I got to thinking about connection these past few days.  I’ve been confined to home for the most part recovering from a nasty bug that my generous son shared with me.  While I frequently give the advice on how to care for oneself when sick, it’s very hard for me to follow it myself.  It’s been said that healthcare providers make the worst patients and I would agree with that where I am concerned.  While trying to sleep and rest, I have discovered something interesting:  I have felt more connected to people during this time.  I haven’t seen their faces, other than my immediate family’s, but I’ve felt their presence and my connection to them.  And it’s not because of their text messages and voicemails asking what it is that I might need that day (although this has been appreciated!).  It is simply because I have had to sit, be still, pause, rest.  I have watched the snow falling outside my windows, watched my kids in their pure delight and excitement in the snow, watched my husband take his good friend on a memorable trip to Lambeau Field, watched my friend drive up in the snow to deliver a steaming hot cup of Agra tea just to be nice.  This morning I was experiencing a headache that wasn’t responding to anything I was doing to extinguish it.  I answered an incoming call from my dear friend in Denver and within a half hour of talking and sharing, my headache was gone.  Roll your eyes if you want but I believe in this power of connection.   I believe that one of the greatest components of our overall health and well-being lies in our relationships and the way we nurture them.

I have also spent time the past couple of days watching a couple of interviews on Dr. Amy Myers’ Autoimmune Summit, where she is sharing the interviews she did with 40 of the world’s leading authorities on Functional Medicine, Holistic Health and more.  She stated that the thing that surprised her the most was how so many of these leaders and prominent physicians, who were there to discuss strategies on how we can overcome the insane amount of autoimmune diseases we are seeing, kept coming back to one thing...you got it, connection.  They talked about the absolute importance of community, connection, family.  Sure, they reviewed gluten and toxins and all the other stuff we go to when someone is suffering from one of these diseases, but the message was there.  Every time I meet with a patient, we spend time discussing their relationships, families and their support systems.  I feel that it is just as important as finding out what they put on their plates every day.

I remember being a kid, then teenager, and finally adult, and my mom talking about how important it was for my sister and me to hug her, to embrace her on a daily basis.  I’ll be honest, as a younger person, I found this to be annoying a good part of the time.  But I get it now more than ever.  My mom was alone, a widow at the age of 40, raising two kids, and she wasn’t getting that human touch like all of her married friends around her.  I wish I could go back to my 12-year old self and give her this information.  But instead I will continue to embrace my mom every time I see her and remind her that she is not alone, ever.

Take a moment to think about your connections, your community, your family.  What do you need to do to make them stronger?  Do you need help or support in getting there?  It’s worth the effort to find it if so.  And if you feel strong in your connections, let somebody know.  Stop by and give them a hug; that too is worth the effort.  Embrace the power of connection.  We are all one.