Collaborating—The Art of Living

I get by with a little help from my friends— My Sunday Best #115

This morning, I am riding shotgun in a borrowed truck that is pulling another borrowed truck that is strapped to a borrowed trailer. The only things I can call mine are the clothes I have on—I checked to make sure. I also have my phone and the contents inside my bag. But other than that, everything else I have in my possession belongs to someone else.

My husband and I are on our way to Oklahoma to pick up our van that broke down a couple of weeks ago. It’s taken us this long to work out the details of how to get it back. Although we had many ideas and possible options for rescuing the van, there was no certainty of how to proceed until a couple of days ago, when we found out a gig had been cancelled. With a small window of time cracked open, the pieces quickly fell into place, which included borrowing two essential items—a powerful truck and a big trailer.

I don’t like to borrow. I have a stubborn streak that insists I don’t need any help and can do it myself. But as it turns out, that streak is like a two-year-old child who is just being silly. Thankfully, a much wiser voice, seasoned by years of experience, knows differently. It reminds me that I can’t rescue the van by myself. I need a little help from my friends. This inner voice also reminds me that if I want to know the truth, I’ve never done anything by myself. Ever since I took my first breath, I’ve had the love and support of an entire universe collaborating to help me get through every single day of my existence.

Whether it’s the air I breathe, the handcrafted mug that holds my coffee, or the coffee itself, which was grown, harvested, and bagged by people I’ll never meet, I am the recipient of all the love, kindness, skills, and generosity of others using their hands and minds, creating, learning, sharing, and being. We are all connected in more ways than we can imagine—breathing the same air, staring up at the same sun, moon, and stars in the sky. Catching glimpses of the same satellite as it circles the entire world.

We were never meant to go it alone. Giving and receiving are an essential part of our existence. As a performer, I can testify that this exchange of energy is very real and tangible. An audience is a vital part of the show. And even though I know this, I still have so much to learn.

Time cannot be borrowed or returned. Time is a gift to be lived. And everything, from a vehicle to a human life, only has so many days on this earth. So, even though it would be easy for me to dismiss a simple thank you as falling short, I know that acknowledging a gift and receiving it with an open heart is what keeps the exchange of energy flowing.

Can you imagine what the world would be like if, when we needed something, we could simply borrow it or check it out like a library book? A world where we didn’t have to accumulate a multitude of things we only use once or twice? A world where we trusted one another with the things we hold dear?

Not only can I imagine it, but I am living in such a world right now.

In reality, I’m just borrowing my way through life. I don’t get to keep any of it. It’s just a loaner. Giving and receiving. There’s no repayment plan. There’s no calling in even. Every moment is a gift.