Fifteen

how will you know the difference between a teacher and a partner?

your teachers are your friends, lovers, enemies, neighbors, ex-husbands, ex-wives, your animals. you learn from them. they help you grow. when they show you who they are, they show you who you are. the change happens inside you, whereas a partner helps you change the world outside. together, you build a tangible container to hold the people you are becoming, whether this is a home where you both can live or a livelihood that sustains you both, or a life that is for just the two of you and is different to the lives you will continue to live for yourselves.

it’s the difference between a job that just shows you what you can give and a career that you build with your company, or a business that you build with your customers.

you won’t know which is which on day 1. every relationship takes time to unfold. every new beginning is an invitation. each person is a mirror that will show you to yourself. look what we can build together! or look how soft and how strong you are inside.

in some lifetimes and for certain seasons, you’ll be your only partner; you must build alone. there will be many teachers around you but no one else with whom to break ground, pour a foundation or lay bricks. it doesn’t matter. the work must begin. and once you start, you must not stop. build yourself a home. don’t let the rains come first. embody the qualities of a good partner: dependable and strong. complete yourself.