It’s Otto writing today and sometimes I’ll hear a song lyric, read a line in a book or hear something totally random on a TV show or on the Internet and it strikes me a little bit deeper than it ordinarily might.
This happened to me again while watching Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patti Scialfa do Bruce’s song “Land of Hope and Dreams” for the Jersey 4 Jersey Benefit show on the Internet the other day.
I’ve probably heard Bruce perform this song Land of Hope and Dreams” a thousand times or more over the years.
But this time, there was a line in the song that seemed to connect with me more deeply than I ordinarily hear it.
In the song, Bruce is talking about the importance of having the right people to travel through life with you and the simple line that struck me so profoundly was…
“You’ll need a good companion for this part of the ride”
In that moment I was “awe-struck” with gratitude and appreciation for the good companion(s) I have right now for this part of the ride that I call life.
I was also struck with gratitude for how many “good companions” I’ve had for different parts of my ride called life.
We’ve all had them and they’ve been true gifts.
People enter our lives for just for a brief moment, an hour, a day, a week, a year and in some cases for a lifetime and every one of these people have been “good companions” in one way or another (even if our lives have taken different turns.)
Sometimes I forget how many good companions I’ve had in life.
Some are still with me on the journey and others are with me in memory, spirit or both.
What’s interesting is that I sometimes focus more on the loss of these people who are no longer in my life than the gift that they were to me.
Then, when I realize I’m focusing more on the loss than the gift or what I wish were different about them if they’re still in my life….
I bring myself back to that place of gratitude and all is well.
Who can you think of that has been a “good companion” in some way in your life?
Can you see them as the gift that they are to you?
What did they bring you that you really wanted or needed?