It has
been
almost
three years since I started at
the Chakra Shack. I was always
interested in spirituality, but
I never delve into energy work
and
guides. As an eighteen year old
I spent most of my time playing
basketball or building computers
with my friends. Only at night
would I
look up at the stars and imagine
what else is out there. I did,
however, always analyze
friendships and the connections
people made. I
looked at relationships through
a third person point of view,
and saw
where people succeeded and
failed to connect with each
other. Through
this perspective I realized that
what people need the most is
someone
to confide in and trust when
times get tough.
I was never the social type. I
spent most of my time in my room
studying or working with
technology. I only made a couple
good friends
rather than several
acquaintances. I trusted them to
be there for me,
and they trusted me likewise. As
for the rest of the school, I
was
always open to their stories,
but I did not expect them to be
there for
me. With best friends there is
always the expectation of being
there
for each other, so we quickly
forget to appreciate what they
do for us.
But it is the rare moments that
someone else needs our help that
take
us by surprise.
During my last days of high
school I had a project that was
30% of my
grade. Like any other high
school student, I left the
entire project to
the night before it was due. I
invited my best friend, who had
procrastinated as well, to my
house. At 8pm we had worked on
the
project for four hours and still
had four more hours before our
projects were finished. But I
had received a call from a
school
acquaintance, crying because she
just found out her parents were
getting divorced.
I had never been to this girl’s
house nor talked to her outside
of
school, but at that moment I
knew she needed me. I looked at
my best
friend straight in the eye and
told him, “Sorry, I have to go,”
and
left my project behind. When I
arrived at the girl’s house she
was
sitting on her driveway crying.
I stuck my hand out and picked
her up.
I put my arms out and hugged her
as she cried on my shoulders. We
talked for hours until her tears
dried up. She looked at me with
her
red eyes and said, “Thank you,
you were the only person I knew
I could
talk to.”
At that moment I did not
understand why she had trusted
me, but she
did. Later I realized that while
she was out partying with her
“friends” every weekend, she had
never trusted any of them as a
friend
should. Yet those times at
school where I just sat and
listened to her
stories, she had gained a trust
in me that was far greater than
those
she had crated with her party
“friends.” Although we were
never truly
close, her simple “Thank you”
touched me. For weeks my best
friend
joked about how I ditched him at
my own house to go over to the
girl’s
house. Yet after a year he
caught me by surprise when
talking to our
friends. “I have never seen
someone more caring about his
friends,” he
told them. “He put everything
aside to help her out, and that
really
impressed me.” I was shocked to
hear such words from my best
friend,
but I finally realized that he
as well trusted me in being the
support
he needs when times get tough.
One day at the store I saw a
small tree growing by a fence
near the
door. As I stared at it longer I
noticed that it was drooping.
The tree
had grown too large to stand up
by itself. I knew by looking at
it that
the plant would either fail to
grow larger or break if it grew
any
more. I grabbed some fishing
line and tied the tree to the
fence so
that the tree would stand
upright. Over the next few days
the tree grew
sixteen inches, doubling its
height.
Some people may say, “Sasha, let
nature be. It will take care of
itself.” Yet I could not stand
to see the tree fall over and
wither
away. Now more than ever, during
these difficult times, we all
need a
lending hand to help each other
out. When we are unable to
achieve the
results we want to see we become
powerless and try the same
ineffective
processes over and over again.
This does not, and will not,
work. Many
times it takes an outsider to
help us realize the
opportunities we are
missing. Sometimes we need other
people to hold our hands to get
us
through the tough times.
During my time at the Chakra
Shack I learned how to help
people arrive
at the results they are looking
for. The store is here as a
support
system, to assist individuals on
their spiritual path in reaching
their
goals. I have seen people who
have given up after losing a
loved one or
being laid off their work. They
confide in the readers and come
out of
the session with a renewed hope
that they can achieve what they
desire.
I have had several people come
to me to asking for a book or
candle to
help them attract more
abundance.
During this holiday season there
will be several families
struggling to
make the most of what they have.
Now more than ever we must be
there
for each other and give hope
that tomorrow will bring better
days. One
may not always ask for help when
he needs it, but as a friend we
must
be there to support them at all
times. Listen to what one has to
say,
and offer your assistance if you
can. Together we can help make
this
community stronger.
