How we relate to each other shapes the world which we make around us. When we treat those close to us kindly, lending an ear for them to freely express their joys and sorrows, and equally are able to do the same, we create an environment of connecting and sharing. And when we close up, keeping these feelings inside to deal with on our own, refusing to open up to others, we trap ourselves without nourishing the strings of relationship which are so essential to our existence.

In nature, everything is about the web. Animals depend on plants for their nourishment. Plants depend on the sunlight and the rain. No part of nature could survive if another part “decided” to stop giving, and in so doing, that part itself would also come to wither and die. Yet, many of us do exactly that – we stop giving and sharing, in many cases because of the hurt which has been caused in the past. Just like anything else in life which is worthwhile, deeply connecting with others involves risk. Sometimes we’ll be hurt. And then there are those times that we feel fully alive when we do so, and come to bloom like the splendor of the Japanese cherry trees. The option is to wither and die. Despite occasional setbacks, in the long run, freely giving the gift of yourself, of life, in turn comes to bring it all back to you.