ONE SINGLE SOUL

It is fitting that this post comes on the heels of "Graceful Exits". Aristotle once said, "Friends are one soul dwelling in two bodies". Have you ever stopped to think about what that means? Sure, we all have friends. Some people have more friends than others. More than likely these friends are mere acquaintances than true friends. Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother". Consider the friends who are apart of your life. Would this friend take the shirt off his back for you? Would this friend throw water on you if you were on fire? Would this friend fight lions, tigers, and bears? Oh my!

In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy had some great friends regardless of the fact that these friends were a lion, a tin man, and a scarecrow. Each one was looking for something different. The Scarecrow, who was Dorothy's dearest friend, was searching for a brain. The Tin Man was searching for a heart and the Cowardly Lion was searching for courage. Dorothy wanted to find a way back home. So all of these characters had something in common. They were searching for something. They were searching for something that would make them complete. Perhaps the Scarecrow was Dorothy's dearest friend because he was the first one she had met on her journey to Oz. They all decided to go see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz, together. The key word in the previous sentence is "together".

They were brave souls. They obtained their bravery from each other despite supposedly the lion did not have any courage. If you ask me, he was pretty courageous on that sometimes spooky and unknown trek to Oz. If that Tin Man didn't have a heart then how come he was so tender and he cried all the time? If the Scarecrow didn't have a brain then how come he knew and only he knew the right things to say to Dorothy when she was distraught and ready to give up? The Tin Man needed Dorothy to bring out the tenderness and gentility in him. The Cowardly Lion needed her so he could feel big and strong by protecting her. The Scarecrow needed her because she saw that he had potential. In my opinion, Dorothy needed them for support, protection, comfort, and company. The Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion all needed Dorothy, one single soul, to bring out the best in all of them.

Switching gears from a beloved movie to a beloved television series, I will now focus my attention on the incredible dynamic of Dawson and Joey. The characters of Dawson and Joey were played by James Van der Beek and Katie Holmes respectively on the hit show Dawson's Creek. The setting is in Dawson's bedroom where the greatest and most memorable conversations between Dawson and Joey always took place. He is leaving the next day, to go off to Hollywood in pursuit of a childhood dream to become a director. Joey is having a hard time letting go of her friend, confidante, and soulmate. Joey says to Dawson: "Do you believe in magic? I never used to. How could I? Thirteen , your mom dies. You hope for magic something to make it all better. It never comes. You look to your father who's unable to overcome all of his tragic flaws. Well no abracadabra there. And then there's Pacey. Well... Any magic that was there ran out, didn't it? But then there's you. There's proof that someone out there is thinking of me. My friend who is with me always. It's pure magic". In another episode, Joey asks Dawson: "Do you think that every Joey has a Dawson and every Dawson has a Joey?" Dawson replies, "I certainly hope so for their sake". Dawson and Joey are just two single souls who needed each other.

Someone once said, "No man is an island". Everyone needs just one person to be there for them whether in good times or bad times, but especially in those uncertain times. It doesn't necessarily have to be the same person just one single soul needing another. I have had two "scarecrows" in my life. The first scarecrow I met as a child. She taught me about friendship. The second scarecrow I met as an adult. He taught me about romantic love. My best friend Heather is very dear to me because she happened to be the first person that I met on my journey, this journey that we call life. We haven't always seen eye to eye. In fact, at times we see things so differently; however we have continued to be there for each other in whatever capacity we could be. Having had been friends with someone for so long is a rare and precious gift. It is a gift that should be treasured and not taken for granted. John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends".

There have been other souls who I have met on my journey who have given of their time and of themselves in ways that have meant so much to me. Each and every single soul I have encountered that God has blessed me with in my life brings out something different in me. "Friends are the family we choose for ourselves". Although I have more than a handful of family members who I hold dear and consider my time with them precious and well spent.

In an episode of One Tree Hill, the character Peyton played by Hilarie Burton said, "At this moment, there are six billion, four hundred, seventy-one million, eight hundered, eighteen thousand, six hundred, and seventy-one people in the world. Six billion souls and sometimes...all you need is one". Sometimes all we need is one. Another character by the name of Nathan played by James Lafferty on One Tree Hill said, "If you look close enough, you can find hope in the words of children, in the bars of a song, and in the eyes of someone you love". Last Saturday morning, I woke up cranky. I had to go to work. I drank some coffee hoping that would bring me to life and take care of the tiredness and crankiness. My best friend brought her newborn daughter by for a minute and in that instant, a big smile came across my face. It took just one- one single soul in the form of a little baby to set me on my MERRY way.

I am still anticipating "the one". The one person in which I am meant to share my life. The person who will be my friend, confidante, and soul mate. A kindred spirit, in which I can share my fears, hopes, and dreams. I felt the magic once temporarily. I am trying to wait patiently for the "hocus pocus" to weave its spell on my heart once again. Isn't there one single soul out there who is my match in every way? I am sure that we have all asked that question at one time or another, out of lonely frustration. If you are lonely, don't lose heart. Reach out to someone. You can find comfort, hope, and stability in the strangest of places. Octavio Paz once said, "Solitude is the profoundest fact of the human conditon. Man is the only being who knows he is alone". Tennessee Williams once wrote, "When so many are lonely as seem to be lonely, it would be inexcusably selfish to be lonely alone". You don't have to walk this journey we call life alone. I am grateful for the company that I have been given in my life. I have people who unselfishly give of their time and themselves. I have people who give me validity, depth, and substance. I hope that you have someone who gives you validity, depth, and substance in your lives whether it be a friend, a family member, a significant other, or a spouse. After all every "scarecrow" needs his "Dorothy" and every "Dawson" needs his "Joey". One single soul deserves another.

Here is a poem by Richard Brautigan entitled "Your Catfish Friend". It has been said that, "Brautigan is good for you". So sit down and get comfortable. Let me brew you a cup and drink it in slowly.

"Your Catfish Friend"

If I were to live my life
in catfish forms
in scaffolds of skin and whiskers
at the bottom of a pond
and you were to come by
one evening
when the moon was shining
down into my dark home
and stand there at the edge
of my affection
and think, "It's beautiful
here by this pond. I wish
somebody loved me,"
I'd love you and be your catfish
friend and drive such lonely
thoughts from your mind
and suddenly you would be
at peace,
and ask yourself, "I wonder
if there are any catfish
in this pond? It seems like
a perfect place for them".