It seems preculiar to me that the conventional name for a roofed set of gasoline pumps is "an island." But, who am I to question the way we label things in a world where novel concepts are common place. So, island it is. Geographically, we think of an island as a piece of land surrounded by water but a tiny settlement in a vast desert might consider themselves as an island of humanity.

I never really thought much about islands until I spend a year living on one on the West Coast and discovered that this was definitely differernt and the mind set that went with living on a confined water surrounded place was also something that infringed on the way you worked, lived and for certain, influenced how one thought.

Isolation of one kind or another is a fact of life. We can experience incredible loneliness in a crowded city, we can cut ourselves off from family and friends and in our world, we punish people by placing them in institutions that instead of isolating the convict, actually place them in a regulated, highly structured communal environment.

It is always surprising to discover when you talk to people how they frequently develop life patterns that essentially turn their way of living into making themselves an island. As a counsellor, working in high schools, I encountered student after student who needed my help, they needed some one to turn to, to share their burden of existance with, because they had, by one means or another, become islands unto themselves. The best advise we can give anyone anytime is for them to share themselves and what they are experiencing. All of life should be much easier when it is not lived on a crisis by crisis existance, toiling with insurmountable difficulty, all alone.

It would not surprise you to discover that the most difficult problems in a relationship are when we fail to share challenges with our partner, or even worse, to refuse to listen, or assist a partner asking, or in need of help. It is our nature, as a social being, to thrive upon the shared experiences with each other and appreciate positive outcomes, because we have the good sense to get assistance to deal with the issues of life.

No matter how unique we think the trials and tribulations we encounter, the reality is, that we humans, are so similar to each other, we all can identify with each other's difficulties and we are naturally inclined to want to help out each other. As a work group leader, I was amazed to discover early in my career, that asking people to help was the key to being an effective leader and bad leadership, is almost always distinquished with those in authority, who are unable, or unwilling, to seek out counsell and support from those who are affected by the decisions made by the leader.

Below is a scene I spotted this afternoon in a neighbourhood in town and in this picture is the essence of success and successful living. Living, sharing, playing and making the best of each minute together.