I went for a midnight ride last night.
When I was younger, I would think nothing of hopping into whatever vehicle I owned on a hot summer night, rolling down the windows and driving aimlessly in the night. I’ve tried hanging my head out the window like Rover, but to no avail. There’s too many frigging bugs!
It’s been a while since I’ve made such a midnight as winter has a habit of getting in the way. The last midnight ramble was along twisty country roads at a hundred miles an hour. I was a bit pissy, you see.
It’s exhilarating being on the edge.
Last night was different. I was returning something surreptitiously. I would have done it face to face and it was, after all, late. A little voice murmured to me to return it then. Oh, I enjoyed the drive in the humid air well enough and it was the content of the materials sitting on the seat beside me that had me singing. The materials were works by someone who had poured their heart out onto the page and thought enough of me to share.
Intimacy comes in so many forms.
As a rule, when we think of intimacy, we think of physical contact. Far too often we live in the physical world neglecting what real intimacy is… emotional connection. It is actually more visceral than that and it’s the best explanation I can muster at the moment. I will admit physical connection is important. There’s nothing more physically connecting to me that someone I care for touching my face. The feeling to me is exquisite and deeply personal.
Yet, there is nothing stronger than visceral connection.
There’s certain bravery in exposing ourselves by writing down our thoughts. It takes great courage to share those thoughts with someone else. Baring our hearts and souls to another can be both exciting and scary. What will they think? Will they like me afterward? Have I lost a friend by showing them who I really am?
Life is not lived by driving fast down country roads. It is not lived by buying the new gadget or flitting from flower to flower without connecting. Life is lived by taking a chance and showing the world who it is we really are deep inside; by showing the scars of our experience.
True intimacy is allowing others to see you as you are… “Into Me See”. It’s an emotional drive along a country road at high speed with the headlights allowing you to see only part of the path and not knowing where the road may lead.
Taking that drive with another person is true deep connection.
Thanks to my friend for allowing me to see them as they are… without the masks.
