TRUST

Trust is the belief no one will tell your secret,
Tho it doesn't work like that.
It always passes through the lips of one,
To the ears of another.
Like dominos,
Everyone soon finds out,
As trust is less than a word,
To the friend of betrayal.
"Can anyone be trusted?"

by Glenn Kendrew

This poem was written by a new friend, I met today. I really want to thank him for taking the time to chat with me. It is amazing how in this world, that at times seems so vast and cruel, we can transcend oceans, borders and continents to connect with someone half way around the world. To me it confirms that feeling I have always had, in the deepest part of my soul, that we are all one, connected by one common vision and consciousness. First, I should let you know how we met. It was fate. I was going through friends of friends on Bebo and came across his site. I was intrigued by his courage and boldness. I invited him to have a chat and he accepted. This was quite unusual for me, as I do not usually do this. Needless to say, he accepted and we started on our way to developing a friendship.

Our chat lasted most of the morning and when it ended I realized that it was like any of the conversations I would have with someone here in Arctic Bay. We talked about friends, family, relationships, suicide, and life. It made me realize that people are people no matter where you go. Life happens and we all have the same needs. We all have the same fears and we all have the same desires. When you peal back the layers of our story, we all want the same thing- love and to be loved. It is amazing how fear creeps into the story to keep us from attaining it.

His poem speaks to many conversations we have here in our tiny Hamlet of Arctic Bay. I can’t tell you the number of people who have told me that they just do not trust anyone. That really makes me sad. My heart sinks every time I hear this. For I feel that if you cannot trust someone then you are unable to love someone. This broken trust creates a whole in our heart that we try to fill. Often, we try to fill it with unhealthy things such as drugs, alcohol, sex or any mix of distractions. It often seems that the message the world is sending out is:

Don’t talk, Don’t trust, Don’t feel.

I say, be brave like my new friend from half way around the world and:

Do talk, Do trust and Do be brave enough to feel.

The time we spend on this earth is nothing more than a blink in the eye of eternity. We need to learn to live our lives without fear. To not shrink away from challenge and adversity but to rise up and grab hold of it. We need to learn to talk and tell each other what we really need. We need to learn to open our minds and choose to trust. We need to learn to open our hearts and choose to feel. That is the kind of world I want to create. You want to come and help build it with me???

Glenn, thanks for taking the time to renew my faith in youth and the world. Life is a beautiful journey and it is amazing the gifts it gives you along the way. You are one of those gifts and I hope you come to realize how special you really are.

I am in a relationship!!! OH!! My GOD!! Well, I guess it is time to explain my relationship status on my Bebo site. Thanks to all of you who were brave enough to ask what was up. It is nice to know that there are people out there interested in my happiness. I know there was a lot of rumbling about what the heck was going on and a lot of rumours with people frantically trying to figure out exactly who I was with. There were a few of you who guessed it correctly. I guess you are the ones that know me best. Lately, in Arctic Bay there has been a shift as everyone has been so concerned about going out with someone. It seems like everyone has to have a boyfriend or a girlfriend. If they don’t, their friends try their hardest to fix them up with someone else. No one seems to be able stay single or be alone. If you do, people seem to judge you and think that there is something wrong with you. It was starting to get so bad that I was buying into the entire want for being needed. I guess I thought I would remind myself that I am never alone and that there is something bigger than you, me and all of us. Something so beautiful yet most people never find it. Too often we search outside of ourselves for the answers to our happiness when all we really need is deep within us. More importantly though, with the holiday season here, I thought it important to get more focused on the real meaning of Christmas. I changed my relationship status for me. It may be selfish but, sometimes, I think we need to wake ourselves up. I do not like how commercial Christmas has gotten. I did it to remind me that I made a commitment a long time ago to serve Christ—but even with that being said, it is much bigger than that. I thought I would daily remind myself that I am in a relationship. A relationship with unconditional love-- a higher power. The higher power that waters the plants, feeds the birds, beats our hearts and leads us if we choose to listen. Even if I chose to be with someone, I would still have a commitment to something bigger. So I am still single—all you ladies that wrote and were worried that you did not have a chance with me. There is still hope but I guess you have some pretty stiff competition.

I read once that all of the ideas in the world have already been presented, that all of our problems have been solved, and that everything has already been invented. With today’s information age, you would think that this is true. You can “Google Search” anything from making a pipe bomb to caring for your pet.
The idea continues to imply that we don’t create new ideas but rather rehash them, rework them and unfortunately forget them. In forgetting them, we continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. I know this to be true in my life. LOL!! If you are much of a history buff, you would see certain trends to prove this as well.
The question is, “Is this a good or bad thing.” I would say it is neither. Each of us is responsible for our story or our personal journey. We continue to build on this path as we walk in our daily life. We march on as an individual but more importantly as a human race. Each of us is a very important part in this puzzle we call “Life”. Too often we get caught up in the small picture and don’t step back to take in the big panoramic view. It is amazing how we need to continually be reminded or woken up.
Like most people, I think I struggle to stay awake to the beauty and wonderment of this world that we live in. A world that houses, cares for and sustains billions of people.
The following passage has actually woken me up. Hope it does the same for you.

THE FINAL ANALYSIS

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centred;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is all between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.”

-Mother Teresa of Calcutta-

Gotta love Mother Teresa!!!!!