Invisible Nets

In her wonderful book, The Great Spring, Natalie Goldberg writes of our interconnection: If we can sit in a cafe breathing, we can breathe through hearing our father's last breath, the slow crack of pain as we realize he's crossing over forever....When a bomb is dropped, it falls through history. No one act, no single life. No disconnected occurrence. I am sipping a root beer in another cafe and the world spins and you pick up a pen, speak, and save another life; this time your own.

You can be coasting through a green light on the highway and I can be admiring  a gift you gave me years ago.  I could be at work alone on a midnight shift and you could be reading this blog. Such little acts weave themselves as nets between us. Invisible nets. We may never speak of them to each other, may never know our invisible affect upon someone else. This realization gives me hope, keeps me persevering in areas of my life which I sometimes feel like abandoning. In our online art witchery class, Moonshine, someone painted sources of support in her life as a checkered pattern illustrating a net. Brilliant. 

Natalie's words made me think of all the nets of support we build around ourselves, often subconsciously. I have invisible nets in many, many areas of my life: some quite specific, designed to support in designated areas only ie tai chi or painting or co-workers; others very general, designed to support in most areas without boundaries ie friends and family.

Who forms your invisible nets? How many do you have? Any you didn't realize or contemplate until now? 

Dad's recent surgery coincided with reading this section of The Great Spring and made me realize what a strong net of support he has around him. We're so fortunate for that. He has doctors, physiotherapists, friends, neighbours, Sandy and other family. At such a time the net pulls tighter to catch us and we notice the netting, spotting individual strands. Most of the time we are simply aware of something vaguely supporting us...or not aware at all until it's needed. One of my favourite, most memorable quotes that Julia Cameron mentions in The Artists Way is "Leap, and the net will appear" by John Burroughs. 

Over our decades of friendship, Linda has given me many precious gifts. One that I read and reread and that I find especially comforting is the simple ceramic fridge magnet pictured below.  When I read it, I feel loved and protected, secure in my place in the world. I think of my friends, and especially Linda, and send love and white light.
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We are rarely aware of how much our everyday acts or gifts can affect someone else, of how interconnected we truly are. It can be fascinating to think about it. For me, that's the stuff stories and poems are made of. Although we may think we know for sure how some presents or actions will help someone, we may be surprised by others --like a fridge magnet given as a gift many years ago. 

"I SHALL PASS THIS WAY BUT ONCE; ANY GOOD THAT I CAN DO OR ANY KINDNESS I CAN SHOW TO ANY HUMAN BEING, LET ME DO IT NOW. LET ME NOT DEFER NOR NEGLECT IT, FOR I SHALL NOT PASS THIS WAY AGAIN.”—Etienne de Grellet

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