I recently saw the movie Lion and was so moved by it’s articulation of the deep and unrelenting need to find where we really belong. It addresses the harrowing things we can go through to find our true home, both inner and outer. Ultimately this search connects us to the people and places that make us feel most like ourselves. When we find one of those places or people suddenly a switch is flipped, it feels completely natural and right, like we’ve known them forever. We are given the gift of being seen for who we are, and that bond requires no trying. This is one of the most beautiful mysteries of life, the deeper connections that defy all logic. When someone or something really resonates with us we feel it on every level. I wish I could say it happens more often. When it does happen my advice is to pay attention and follow where it leads.

This movie points out another anomaly that often accompanies a meeting like this, the fact that there are unexpected and an almost impossible series of events that lead us to them. Somehow the most meaningful events and people come to us in the most mysterious ways, but the common denominator in all of it is that there’s no forcing it, it’s a natural outcropping of the search. These people and places shelter our soul and love us with no ulterior motive. (And if you don’t believe a beach, sunset, or forest can love you, I beg to differ.) I think of these as soul pacts. That somehow through every obstacle or random encounter we were meant to come into contact with this other that saves our life in one way or another, either literally or figuratively. It doesn’t depend on anything we do, it’s not because of who we are. It’s more like there is a soul seeing that takes place, long before we ever encounter that person or place. Maybe we’re never meant to fully understand it, but this kind of seeing invisibly binds us to others without logic or reason.

A soul pact moves us to offer ourselves in a completely open and honest way to a feeling, a person, or a cause that moves us beyond words and often out of our comfort zone. Somehow, inexplicably, we are led to one another, to soothe each other, to uplift each other, and to enhance each other’s lives. We come into direct contact with these invisible threads of interconnections that cannot be broken or severed, that just exist, weaving our lives together in the most unexpected ways, and it is a powerful meeting. Our choice is whether we open to them or turn them away. These gifts are hard won, they require us to dig deeper than we think we are able, and ask everything from us. In return, they offer some of the most sublime moments life has to offer.

Being able to recognize another in a way that defies any kind of logic we are use to takes a little practice. This unknown element can create discomfort and fear. We are required to trust: ourselves, others, and situations beyond our control. If we stop to think about how we met the people that mean the most we’ll see there is no rational explanation. Honoring these unseen connections is a way of living with the mystery. We all have these people in our lives, put there to protect and nurture our soul and to bring us joy. What’s just as amazing is that we are that for someone else as well. This incredible gift goes unrecognized if we are careless. How important it is to honor these people in our lives and appreciate what we don’t fully understand.

Here’s the thing – we don’t always know why we do the things we do. Sometimes it just feels right, sometimes we are drawn, and other times we are powerless against it’s pull. This is our soul telling us what we need. It’s not something we can categorize, plan or plot. We just follow it, without pushing to make it happen or holding back. If we look long enough it all becomes clear.

kb