“When we look deeply into a sheet of paper, we see that it’s full of everything in the cosmos: the sunshine, the trees, the clouds, the earth, the minerals, everything—except for one thing. It’s empty of one thing only: a separate self. The sheet of paper cannot be by itself alone. That is why the word inter-be can be more helpful than the word be. In fact, to be means to inter-be. The sheet of paper cannot be without the sunshine, cannot be without the forest. The sheet of paper has to inter-be with the sunshine, to inter-be with the forest.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh from Fear
When we look deeply enough, we can see everything.
Take a single leaf of romaine lettuce bought from the store. What do you see?
The seed, the earth, the minerals, the sunshine, the clouds, the rain.
Look deeper and we see the farmers; the merchants who sold it; the people who built the roads for the trucks; the people who built the trucks; the people who built the parts to the truck and the people who gathered the raw materials for those parts. Then there are the people who supported those people….
Then there’s the transport you take to get there. Who built it? Who made the clothes and shoes you wear to the store? Where did you get the money to purchase all that? And on and on and on.
All in a single leaf of romaine lettuce.
As Nhat Hanh describes, the only thing we *don’t* see is a separate self.
Everything truly is connected. Everything.
Here’s to embracing interbeing more and more in our day to day lives.
yes, connections are life.
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Yes, definitely embrace our connections!
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Yes! Thank you Jill ❣️
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This is so awesome, Val, thank you for sharing! ❤
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Than’s Julie. Keep sharing the love and reaching out to others. This is what matters 💕
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Val, So wish that all the inhabitants on our planet would become aware of the interconnectedness of all life. It could go a long way to reduce prejudice. Thank you for this and so many of your lovely reminders that inspire me.
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Beautifully said pyonchek. May we come together and keep creating loving connections and understanding 🙏
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Everything. If we but take time to ponder. Great quote and post, Val. ❤️
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It’s almost impossible to work out all the connections in our lives today.
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So true Dan … technology brings us even closer, yet so often keeps us separated from true connection and appreciation 💛
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This is wonderful, Val!
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Thank you Jennifer. I feel the connection 💛
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Oneness is Happiness 🙂
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Oneness Is wholeness. Wholeness is happiness. Becoming whole is so powerful, especially to peeps who think they already are!
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Lovely celebration of connectedness! 🙂
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Thank you Debra 💛
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Loved this Val. Thank you
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Thank you Dave 💛
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This reminds me of my meal prayer: ‘Bless this food and all who had a part in bringing it to my table.’ And I always think of just how many people that is, and then all the people who support them, ad finitum. Yes, we’re all connected!
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Love ❤️
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What a beautiful way to view the world!
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I love have you make us think. And I’m really thinking now of the inter-be-ness of my fingers as I type this on the keyboard,, of the warm tea soothing my cool throat on a fall-y day, of YOUR fingers as you wrote this. Forget about the great Beatles song LET IT BE. Perhaps we should be singing: INTER BE, INTER BE. xo
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great how that can inspire so much.
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Thank you 🙏
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your welcome always!
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This is BEAUTIFUL, Val!
Hope you are well💜
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Thank you Lorrie 💛 hope all is well with you. xo
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Love this Val… Inter-connected. are we all to everything!…. And when we open up to see that one thing cannot exist without the other it opens up a whole new perception… Just like that humble lettuce leaf has so many connections..
So enjoyed your analogy
Hope you have had a wonderful weekend..
Love and Hugs.. ❤
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Thanks Sue for your insightful comment and kind words. Have a great week ahead my friend 💕
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💗💜💗
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