It takes one to know one

24.May.12

“It takes one to know one…” what does that exactly mean and where in the world did that phrase come from?

“It takes one to know one…”

Once I allow myself the time I do recognize that the world brings me to its own destinations in which it wants me to experience at that moment, at that exact time in my life, in that certain place, and with those particular people.  Regardless of all the ways I could dream up some situation, role play a meet and greet, or talk my way through some unforeseen predicament it never pans out exactly the way I planned it; nothing ever does and obviously you go getters, adventurers, nomads, wonderers, and wanderers don’t need to hear that from me.

“It takes one to know one…”

Imagine seeing four misplaced people riding on the side of a busy road, passing by them in a speedy vehicle heading towards the next big city, and fantasizing about where they are going and where they have been…and about three hours later you find them in your friends garden sitting around all laughing and talking about their most recent adventures and their past escapades.  I’ve never lived that life before…of course I have been the one sitting on the fast vehicle towards the next city, envisioning where these people who I pass by in an instant are going but never have I had them swiftly become very much a part of the next few days of my life following that passing by experience.  Unexpectedly, we all found each other there, in the garden, getting to know one another, eating, breathing, living, celebrating the time we have all had in Uganda and elsewhere in the world...and suddenly a few days later we all disperse in our own directions, back to the road and back to the life we led before we all met.

It’s the small things really that came about from being in their presence that provided me with some leeway about what it is that I am doing or trying to do with my young life.  Funny how I only spent a few days with them and now I feel that I somehow can picture myself journeying with them.  These young men came into my life at an ideal time…as I am moved and inspired by their adventures that they will forever hold within the very depth of their souls, I was able to see my own journey in a different light.  Since having met them, I have met myself all over again and will be in debt to them for ages because the person that I met was the person that I have seemed to have lost along the way somewhere.  If the stars where to ever decide to line up our pathways again I would be more than grateful for their presence which has provoked me and aligned me with my next expedition that seems to have been waiting for me to recognize its capacity for well-being for quite some time.

These young men are absolute legendary game changers: Chen, Tom, Buster, and Jimmy: I owe you heaps of gratitude and an unconditional open door to where ever you may find me.

“It takes one to know one…”

For quite some time now I have found myself even more of roller coaster than usual; some days I was willing to accept it and other days I was more than willing to push it into some dark, dusty, corner full of cobwebs space in my world.  However, today I embraced what has been crawling across my mind for what seems to be ages now…feeling sometimes as if it were slippery snake moving too fast to grasp it and other times crawling with such intense claws that the pain caused me to jump ship.  I feel compelled to share that looking into the eyes of those who I have not seen for a while was like looking into an abandoned home.  As if all has been misunderstood resulting in feeling a bit lost and a bit broken.  You know, trying to meet someone’s expectations of you is challenging enough, but not knowing that someone has expectations of you and being told that you never met them is way worse.

 I’ve never been so keen on trying to reach other people’s expectations…like the professor who would neglect to read into my opinion because it didn’t match his, or the artist who said my masterpiece wasn’t good enough because it didn’t appeal to his artistic eye…expectations come from within and if you’re working with someone then they come together as a compilation of what is expected of each other.  It’s quite hard to meet someone’s expectations if they are never set out to begin with and to then be accused for failing to succeed is simply unjust.  However, it seems that these injustices come with very tangible results for the soul…results for the mind…and results for the beginning of the end.

 I live and learn quite well, actually it may be one of my best traits…to live and learn…and that is exactly what I have been doing with my life for the past 15+ months in Uganda…well, in all honestly, in last nearly 25 years of my life.

“It takes one to know one…”

Have you ever felt you were in place that could ideal for a timeless photograph, or in the presence of someone whose life could be a best-seller novel, or how about in an environment that simply blows away any perfect vacation spot you could have ever imagined?  Today, I sat in a very small room, dirt floors, mud and brick walls, filled with 8 individuals crowding around our dear friend Kauma who was run over by a bull.  Now Kauma is beyond a strong woman, full of zeal and zest, as well as stubbornness and attitude…she definitely holds a very special place in my heart.  This afternoon when we heard that she was in much pain due to this unexpected incident and we went to visit. 

There we found her, tiny, tiny, tiny, as if she went from petite body image to a childlike form yet she was strong.  She was there telling her story of what happened…not knowing that she was bleeding and in pain after falling over from the bulls hit…she kept walking him to where he was to be grazed and when she came back to shower she was covered in blood and could be barely stand the throbbing discomfort.  After walking herself to the clinic she found no one, then on to the next clinic where she was directed elsewhere, finally reaching the hospital where she was not treated for more than 6 hours…she was at last given morphine for the procedure to stitch up her wounds which was not strong enough so she felt each and every stitch through her upper thighs.

And there I was, sitting on a small stool with my sandals on my feet because as I tried to enter by removing them as is custom here, the women told me to keep them on.  I was just listening, watching her expressions, hearing the women’s responses to her story and having my friend Afuna Mark translate for me…as if pushing aside my challenges into the corner space of my world makes sense to me at times, here’s Kauma struggling to sit up after being run over by a bull, wondering how she will provide the next meal for her four orphaned grandchildren…the world wanted me there, life wanted me in that one room hut today in her presence to bring me back to what it was I came for…

“It takes one to know one…”

I suppose one could say it takes a nomad to better understand a nomad’s perception of the world

I suppose one could say it takes an adventurer to better understand the next adventurer’s quest for adventure
I suppose one could say it takes an artist to better understand an artist
I suppose one could say it takes a realist to recognize a realist
I suppose you could say that about anyone and anything……….

But what do people really mean when they say it takes one to know one…does it take one to know one through that person’s own expectations of what that one should know? Or does it take one to know one to simply recognize that one is one to begin with in which the one wishes to know?

You don’t have to be a cyclist to know one

You don’t have to be a world traveler to know one
You don’t have to be an addict to know one
You don’t have to be a musician to know one
You don’t have to be a shepherd to know one

The list is endless, endless, endless……………………..

You don’t have to be anything to know anything about anything unless you want to be someone who knows someone about someone…rather let’s hope you are someone who wants to know about someone else simply for your sincere interest in getting to know who they are rather than expecting to know who they are because they seem to be who they are because of what they are.

You can be someone, your own someone and you can know someone their own someone.

All of these lessons, all of these ducks, all of these stars, are lining up simply to provide the realization that no matter what I expect, what I initiate, what I plan, what I hope for, what I look for, what I want to do, what I am doing, where I want to be, what I am, where I am, where I’m going, where I’ve been, who I am, who I’ve been, who I am with and who I have been with is simply what makes me me and that ladies and gentlemen…that is what takes one to know one…it takes myself to know myself…it takes yourself to know yourself…and one day myself will know yourself and together we will be knowing each other.

Cheers to the people along the way that we had no idea existed and now play an ever important role in our lives.

Love and Peace to your souls,

Anne Therese