“Life Apart and Life Impart”
In an A. A. book titled Twenty-Four Hours a Day: The Little Black Book, today’s meditation talked about the life apart and the life impart. What do the two words “apart” and “impart” mean in this context?
The life apart refers to “. . . the life of prayer and quiet communion with God.” Whether we speak of prayer and communion with God, whether we even believe that there is a god, we all need some time alone. We may call it “time to recharge the batteries,” or “me-time,” or anything else, but we all need it. Some of us (who are introverts) need more time apart. Others of us (who are extroverts) need less. But we all need this kind of time.
Strangely enough, I consistently come out as an introvert in the Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment. This surprises all my friends. It surprises me, too. I like people, and I like to talk.
On the other hand, I like people in small doses. And I only like to talk after several hours of silence, very early in the morning. I’m writing this post at 5:00 a.m. Reading and writing, like talking, are aspects of communication. However, reading and writing are also solitary, quiet activities.
But the life apart needs to be in balance with the life impart. What I gain in the silence, I need to share with others. One way that I do that is by teaching. Another way is by writing for my Down to Earth Believer website.
I am not the only one who has things to impart. Everyone does. A lot of people think that their insights and stories would be of no interest to anyone. They are dead wrong. Little children who can barely talk can make the most interesting comments in the world, and can ask the best questions in the world. So can the very old. So can everyone in between. Your story is unique to you. It can also help countless others in the world—if you impart it.
This life apart and impart involves a daily routine for me. I need balance. And although I strive for that balance, I rarely feel that I have achieved it.
When I was about nine or so, I watched a lot of shows on TV that involved circuses. (Yes, that was a thing a very long time ago.) So, I decided to become a tightrope walker. When my dad wasn’t around, I started walking on our wooden fence, south of our house. However, I pretty swiftly discovered that balance isn’t as easy as it seems. I fell . . . a lot. One day, I got off balance and came down hard straddling the wooden fence. That was the end of my tightrope career.
In a sense, we are all tightrope walkers, and balance isn’t easy in any area of life. For example, sometimes, I talk too much. I’ve known this for a very long time. I need to respect my own self by practicing the fine art of silence more often. Listening attentively and deeply to another person is also a form of communication.
But I will continue to need these quiet alone times as well. While solitary confinement is one of the worst forms of torture known to humankind, continual interaction with people is not far behind it, as a means of torture.
Balance is exceedingly important. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about tightrope walking or life itself.
God, please help me to balance my apart and my impart today.
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