Telling and retelling our stories, we find meaning in our lives. The passage of time gives us perspective because the stories change as the events and their consequences evolve. Weaving together our stories we inevitably find new parts of ourselves that we missed while the events were unfolding. Articulating our stories is valuable as it helps us understand our own inner landscapes. Through practice, we can learn to mine our lives for gems of truth. We can find out, “Who am I? What are my gifts? Where do I fit in this world?” And even, “What should I be doing with my life?” If each of us has a unique configuration of strengths which the world needs, we can fulfill our potential only by knowing and practicing our gifts, strengths and talents. Thus we can grow to reach our personal success, our mature wisdom, and our unique expertise. But we must study ourselves to find this potential; use each other as mirrors to have clarity about it; then work hard to cultivate it. Loneliness and longing are signs that we are neither engaged with our true work nor living our true life. However, we can transform this difficult experience by embracing the longing until it becomes receptivity to change. Opening our eyes, our minds, and our hearts, we can find our destiny in the forms of family, religion, work, home, community. I often find that when my heart aches incessantly with longing, this is a sign that a new piece of my life is trying to find me. In Judaism there is a concept that, like Abraham, we are servants of God. By aligning our God-given gifts with the needs of the world, we fulfill God’s plan for us. We participate in Tikun Olam, the repair of the world. Our goal is to find our rightful place in the universe, one that is neither too big nor too small. Reading or hearing the stories of others (real and fictional) helps us understand our human condition, our commonalities and our differences. Sharing our stories with each other, we find that we are so much alike, as people and as participants in this time and place. Listening to a friend (or potential friend) tell her story, without interrupting or trying to influence her story, helps her learn to fully occupy her potential space in the world.
