⟳ bond ⟳
I used to get drunk
in the shower
with laughter,
from humor with my mother.
Our silliness would echo amidst the steam from our evening bathing together when I was a toddler, a ritual imprinted in my mind even after all these years later in adulthood. Sometimes mom would block the spray from the shower head, using her body as a human shield against its somewhat aggressive outpour of water. As she stood in front of me, she’d bend down while cupping my face with her warm smile, then kiss my cheek to make me giggle again.
These remain some of my most cherished moments with my mom, a time where I was barely verbal yet spoke to her with a knowingness that only we shared with each other.
Get Allison CT Wu’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
When connected in the womb with our mother, our life is formed by another. As we float inside of the confines of her belly, we rely entirely on her body for nourishment and first impressions of humanity.
Our birth into this world is from a cutting of ties. The cutting of the umbilical cord is a sacred moment — sometimes done in haste when the mother or the baby are in danger, sometimes done with a sense of fear from the partner if they carry the weight of the task, or in the best case scenario, it is completed steadily with guidance, graced by a few tears of relieved joy.
When the bond is severed between mother and child, the baby is now vulnerable as an individual, fighting from their first cry to navigate the universe on their own. This loss of innocence is inevitable — it’s what makes us human. However, what is lost in our innocence is gained in our newfound independence, a chance to make this world our own.
Mentors, enemies, friends, family — all of these figures provide opportunities for our learning about how to connect to life’s gritty reality. But who is there to ultimately teach us about what I deem is the most important connection we will ever make in this life — the bond with ourselves?
So many a time we are at a loss with ourselves, enduring moments of self-disconnection as we cling to jobs, identities, money, politics, relationships, hardships, ego, health — all of which get so much of our attention yet leaves us with almost no time to sit with our inner.
And so I ask you:
⟳ What is it to be truly connected with yourself?
Unfold the welcome mat — you are waiting for you.
